---
modificationDate: June 26, 2026
title: Install expo-updates in an existing React Native project
description: Learn how to install and configure expo-updates in your existing React Native project.
---
## Submitting Feedback
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npx --yes submit-expo-feedback@latest --category docs --subject "/bare/installing-updates/" ""
Direct HTTP fallback:
curl -X POST https://api.expo.dev/v2/feedback/docs-send -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"url":"/bare/installing-updates/","feedback":"🤖 Agent feedback for docs: (, )"}'
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## Navigation
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You are here: Guides > Development process > Existing React Native apps
Pages in this section:
- [Overview](https://docs.expo.dev/bare/overview.md)
- [Install Expo modules](https://docs.expo.dev/bare/installing-expo-modules.md)
- [Migrate to Expo CLI](https://docs.expo.dev/bare/using-expo-cli.md)
- [Install expo-updates](https://docs.expo.dev/bare/installing-updates.md) (this page)
- [Install expo-dev-client](https://docs.expo.dev/bare/install-dev-builds-in-bare.md)
- [Native project upgrade helper](https://docs.expo.dev/bare/upgrade.md)
Full documentation tree: [llms.txt](https://docs.expo.dev/llms.txt)
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# Install expo-updates in an existing React Native project
Learn how to install and configure expo-updates in your existing React Native project.
`expo-updates` is a library that enables your app to manage remote updates to your application code. It communicates with the configured remote update service to get information about available updates. This guide explains how to set up an existing React Native project for use with [EAS Update](/eas-update/introduction.md), a hosted remote update service that includes tools to simplify installation and configuration of the `expo-updates` library.
#### Do you use Continuous Native Generation (CNG) in your project?
You may be reading the wrong guide. To use `expo-updates` in a project that uses [CNG](/workflow/continuous-native-generation.md), see [EAS Update "Get started"](/eas-update/getting-started.md).
#### Prerequisites
##### Install and configure the expo package
If you created your project with `npx @react-native-community/cli@latest init` and do not have any other Expo libraries installed, you will need to [install Expo modules](/bare/installing-expo-modules.md) before proceeding.
## Installation
To get started, install `expo-updates`:
```sh
# npm
npx expo install expo-updates
# yarn
yarn expo install expo-updates
# pnpm
pnpm expo install expo-updates
# bun
bun expo install expo-updates
```
Then, install pods for iOS:
```sh
# npm
npx pod-install
# yarn
yarn dlx pod-install
# pnpm
pnpm dlx pod-install
# bun
bunx pod-install
```
## Configuring expo-updates library
Apply the changes from the diffs from the following sections to configure `expo-updates` in your project.
### JavaScript and JSON
Run `eas update:configure` to set the `updates` URL and `projectId` in **app.json**.
```sh
eas update:configure
```
Modify the `expo` section of **app.json**. If you created your project using `npx @react-native-community/cli@latest init`, you will need to add the following changes including the [`updates` URL](/versions/latest/config/app.md#url).
> The example `updates` URL and `projectId` shown below are used with EAS Update. The EAS CLI sets this URL correctly for the EAS Update service when running `eas update:configure`.
If you want to set up a [custom `expo-updates` server](https://github.com/expo/custom-expo-updates-server) instead, add your URL to `updates.url` in **app.json**.
```diff
"expo": {
"name": "MyApp",
- "updates": {
- "url": "https://u.expo.dev/[your-project-id]"
- }
+ "updates": {
+ "url": "http://localhost:3000/api/manifest"
+ }
}
}
```
### Android
Modify **android/app/build.gradle** to check for the JS engine configuration (JSC or Hermes) in Expo files:
Modify **android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml** to add the `expo-updates` configuration XML so that it matches the contents of **app.json**:
If using the updates server URL (a custom non-HTTPS update server running on the same machine), you will need to modify **android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml** to add the update server URL and enable `usesCleartextTraffic`:
Add the Expo runtime version string key to **android/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml**:
### iOS
Add the file **Podfile.properties.json** to the **ios** directory:
```json
{
"expo.jsEngine": "hermes"
}
```
Modify **ios/Podfile** to check for the JS engine configuration (JSC or Hermes) in Expo files:
Using Xcode, add **Expo.plist** file to **ios/your-project/Supporting** with the following content to match the contents of **app.json**:
```xml
EXUpdatesCheckOnLaunch
ALWAYS
EXUpdatesEnabled
EXUpdatesLaunchWaitMs
0
EXUpdatesRuntimeVersion
1.0.0
EXUpdatesURL
http://localhost:3000/api/manifest
```
## Next steps
- To start using EAS Update with EAS Build, see the EAS Update [Get started](/eas-update/getting-started.md).
- See [`expo-updates` API reference](/versions/latest/sdk/updates.md) for more information on how to use the library.
- See how to use [EAS Update with a local build directly](/eas-update/standalone-service.md).
- It is also possible to use `expo-updates` with a custom server that implements the [Expo Updates protocol](/technical-specs/expo-updates-1.md). See [`custom-expo-updates-server` README](https://github.com/expo/custom-expo-updates-server#readme).