ArrayBuffer support for Java TurboModules Java TurboModules can now take and return JavaScript ArrayBuffer values directly. Binary data no longer needs to be encoded between layers.

Variable fonts support The fontVariationSettings style prop is now supported for Text and TextInput, on both Android and iOS.

Web-based event dispatching Behind the scenes, React Native now dispatches events through the web-based EventTarget API by default, along with the update to React 19.3. This allows opt-in to imperative web event listener APIs via the Canary channel.

Experimental Swift Package Manager support An opt-in alternative to CocoaPods on iOS — no Ruby, no Bundler, no pod install after dependency changes. CocoaPods remains the default and the supported path. Try it out:

Strict TypeScript API by default In 0.87, React Native's JavaScript API switches over to our modern and stable TypeScript types. - Deep imports into Libraries/ are now a type error - Types are generated directly from source - Improved docs on hover This is a one-time breaking change, with an opt out available through React Native 0.88. reactnative.dev/docs/strict-…

React Native DevTools additions DevTools now supports light/dark mode emulation via Emulation.setEmulatedMedia. Test your app's dark theme handling directly from DevTools or connected agents over CDP.

Jest preset moved to new package The Jest preset has been extracted to `@react-native/jest-preset`, reducing core package size. Update your jest.config.js:

React Native DevTools improvements - Multiple CDP connections: Connect DevTools, VS Code, and AI agents simultaneously - Native tabs on macOS: System-level tab handling for power users

New Animation Backend React Native 0.85 introduces a preview of the Shared Animation Backend, built in collaboration with Software Mansion. This is a new internal engine that will power both Animated and Reanimated. It expands first class native animation support in core, and unlocks even faster native performance for Reanimated. This is an experimental feature and will be available in 0.85.1 (shortly).

New iOS build options We now offer an experimental flag to compile out the Legacy Architecture, as well as to debug your precompiled binaries on iOS.

Intersection Observers (Canary) Continuing our expansion of Web APIs in React Native, we've added IntersectionObserver, which allows you write code responding to layout intersections.