React Native developers using Expo can now integrate CometChat's full-featured messaging and calling capabilities directly into their apps. We've released a comprehensive sample application that demonstrates how to implement real-time chat, voice, and video calling in Expo projects using development builds.
What we're launching
The React Native Sample App Expo is a reference implementation showcasing CometChat's React Native UI Kit integration in an Expo environment. This sample app provides a complete working example of how to add enterprise-grade communication features to your Expo-based React Native applications.
The sample app includes:
Real-time messaging with typing indicators and read receipts
Voice and video calling capabilities
Group conversations and user management
File sharing and media attachments
Push notifications and offline message handling
Why this matters for developers
If you're building with Expo, you've likely faced the trade-off between development speed and access to native modules. CometChat's communication features require custom native modules that aren't available in Expo Go, which previously meant Expo developers had to eject to a bare workflow or find alternative solutions.
This sample app solves that problem by demonstrating the proper integration path using Expo's development builds. You get:
Faster development cycles
Skip the complex native module setup and configuration
Production-ready components:
Pre-built UI components that handle edge cases and provide consistent UX
Complete feature set
Access to all CometChat capabilities without compromising on Expo's developer experience
Clear migration path
Easy transition from prototype to production without rebuilding your communication layer
Key features and capabilities
Native module integration
The sample app shows how to properly configure CometChat's native dependencies in an Expo development build. This includes handling iOS provisioning profiles and Android gradle configurations automatically through the prebuild process.
Complete UI kit implementation
Every major CometChat component is demonstrated:
Conversation list with real-time updates
Message composer with rich text formatting
Media sharing (images, videos, documents)
Call interface with controls for mute, camera toggle, and screen sharing
User and group management screens
Cross-platform compatibility
Unified codebase that runs on both iOS and Android with platform-specific optimizations handled automatically by the UI Kit.
What's next
This sample app provides the foundation for integrating CometChat into any Expo project. The patterns and configurations shown here can be adapted to your specific use case, whether you're building a customer support chat, team collaboration tool, or social messaging feature.
The full source code includes detailed comments explaining each integration point, making it easy to understand how each piece fits together in your own implementation.
Nivedita Bharathy
Product Marketing Specialist , CometChat