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Shopify2023-10-18Announcement
Native is now the future of mobile at Shopify
Summary
Shopify is moving its mobile apps from React Native to Swift and Kotlin after reevaluating the assumptions behind its 2020 decision as coding models improved. React Native had reduced duplicated implementation and feature-parity work, but agents now handle much of the cross-platform implementation, translation, testing, and review work. Shopify is choosing greenfield rebuilds, with Helix breaking migrations into reviewed checkpoints that require tests, visual comparison, adversarial code review, and human approval. The Shop app reached the app stores as a fully native rebuild in 12 weeks, while the Shopify app migration is underway. The company will continue selected React Native library support while migrating all its apps, and will judge success by product velocity, app quality, and autonomous agent work.
Context
Shopify originally adopted React Native in 2020 to avoid building features twice, enable developers to work across the stack, and reduce the effort of maintaining feature parity. Improved coding models changed the cost calculation by making cross-platform implementation, translation, testing, and review work more feasible for agents.
Approach / What changed
Shopify is rebuilding its mobile apps in Swift and Kotlin, using greenfield migrations and AI-assisted development. Its Helix system divides screens into ordered checkpoints; each checkpoint requires behavioral tests, visual review against the running app, two adversarial code reviews, and human approval. Tooling also lets agents exercise application logic through a CLI and interact with simulators when necessary.
Takeaways
The Shop app was rebuilt as a fully native app and published in the app stores in 12 weeks with AI assistance.
Helix prevents unreviewed migration output from advancing by requiring tests, visual matching, adversarial reviews, and human approval at every checkpoint.
Shopify will sponsor React Native Skia through the end of 2026, maintain FlashList's critical compatibility fixes, and maintain Restyle through the end of 2026 before stopping maintenance.
Source and freshness
- Source
- shopify.engineering
- Published
- Added to Yomu
Summaries are generated from the original by a language model. Check the original before relying on it.
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