React Native migration for teams that cannot risk a messy rebuild
Your mobile app is too critical to bet on a big-bang rewrite that drags on for a year. You need fewer crashes, faster releases, and a single codebase for iOS and Android, while the business keeps running.
BYBOWU is a Phoenix-based mobile and web studio working with teams across the US and worldwide. We specialize in React Native and Expo, with real native iOS and Android experience behind it, so we can migrate and modernize your app without breaking core flows or surprising your users.
The outcome: a modern React Native app that starts faster, crashes less, and is cheaper to evolve quarter after quarter.
When your current mobile stack is holding you back
If any of this sounds familiar, your app needs more than one more hotfix:
- Two diverging native apps: iOS and Android drift apart, features ship weeks apart, and bugs are fixed twice.
- Slow, clunky UX: long cold starts, choppy lists, and mid-range devices struggling to keep up.
- Fragile legacy code: nobody wants to touch certain screens, and every release feels like a gamble.
- Manual, stressful releases: ad hoc builds, unclear rollbacks, and no real-time view into crashes or performance.
- Security and compliance pressure: outdated SDKs, risky storage, and limited audit trails.
React Native by itself does not fix those issues. The right architecture, release process, and guardrails do. That is what we set up for you.
How our React Native migration and modernization process works
We treat migration as a product initiative, not just a code rewrite. The goal is to protect revenue and operations while you upgrade the stack.
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Discovery, audit, and migration plan
We start with a short, focused audit of your current apps, backend, SDKs, and release history. Together we decide:
- Which user journeys must stay rock-solid during the migration.
- Where brownfield (gradual) vs greenfield (full rebuild) makes sense.
- Target metrics for cold start, crash-free sessions, and interaction latency.
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Pilot module to prove the approach
We rebuild one meaningful flow in React Native, for example onboarding, home, or checkout. This validates architecture, CI/CD, and release strategy before you commit the entire app.
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Incremental rollout and feature parity
We replace legacy screens in stages, using feature flags, staged rollouts, and close monitoring. Business-critical flows like payments or field workflows get extra QA and observability.
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Performance tuning and hardening
Migration is a good moment to fix long-standing performance issues:
- Cold-start reduction using the Hermes engine, lean bootstrap, and route-based code splitting where appropriate.
- Smoother lists and gestures through virtualization, memoization, and animation optimizations.
- Crash reduction with defensive coding, clear error boundaries, and isolated native modules.
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Launch, training, and handover
We manage releases, stabilize post-launch, and hand over clean documentation: architecture decisions, coding standards, deployment playbooks, and onboarding for your in-house team.
What is included in a React Native migration engagement
A modernization project with BYBOWU gives you more than a new repository. You get a mobile product that is easier to operate and grow.
- Modern React Native codebase built with TypeScript, a clear feature structure, and predictable navigation.
- State, data, and offline behavior using tools like Redux Toolkit or Zustand, plus React Query for caching, retries, and offline-friendly queues when needed.
- Native bridges and device capabilities for camera, biometrics, push notifications, deep linking, and background tasks, including custom Swift/Kotlin modules if existing packages fall short.
- Security and authentication with secure storage, robust session handling, and safe network communication patterns aligned with your compliance needs.
- CI/CD and Expo EAS setup including code signing, automated builds, tests, and staged rollouts using tools such as GitHub Actions or Bitrise.
- Testing and observability with a practical test suite (for example Jest and React Native Testing Library) and crash/performance monitoring using platforms like Sentry or Crashlytics.
- UX and interaction polish so common tasks are faster to complete, and support tickets go down instead of up after launch.
- Documentation and team training so your developers can extend the app without guesswork.
If your mobile app is tightly connected to your website or web platform, our web development services and Next.js expertise help keep the entire user journey consistent.
What you can order
- Brownfield React Native introduction — Add React Native to your existing native apps and migrate 2 to 4 key screens to prove the stack, CI/CD, and rollout approach without touching everything at once.
- Parity-focused migration to React Native — Rebuild your current iOS and Android apps into a single React Native codebase with feature parity, basic performance tuning, and a stable release pipeline.
- React Native rebuild with UX refresh — Full greenfield React Native app with updated information architecture, improved UX flows, and integration with your existing backend and APIs.
- React Native performance and stability audit — Targeted review of an existing React Native app to diagnose crashes, jank, and release pain, plus a prioritized action plan your team can execute.
- React Native + web funnel alignment — Modernize your app and align it with new campaign and landing pages or a refreshed ecommerce or booking experience.
- Ongoing React Native support and optimization — Monthly engagement for improvements, OS and SDK updates, performance work, and new feature delivery after the initial migration.
Proof it works in the real world
Retail marketplace going cross-platform
A fast-growing marketplace, similar in spirit to projects like BEZET and SixZeros, needed to bring two diverging mobile apps under control. We introduced a shared React Native layer, stabilized key shopping flows, and simplified future feature rollout across both platforms.
Matching platform with modern UX
A matching-style product, like the Roome housemate finder, required a more responsive mobile experience without breaking existing search and messaging flows. React Native allowed the team to ship UX improvements faster while keeping backend integrations intact.
Operations and logistics on mobile
For a logistics and supplier-focused product comparable to MonoDrop, we helped define an offline-friendly mobile architecture so field teams could work reliably in low-connectivity environments with a clear upgrade path for new workflows.
For a closer look at how we think about complex products, you can browse our portfolio or ask for a case study relevant to your industry.
Why choose BYBOWU for React Native migration
- Migration-minded, not feature-hungry — We focus on protecting existing revenue flows and internal operations first. Any UX improvements are layered in where they reduce friction or support volume.
- Senior, cross-stack perspective — Our team builds mobile apps, APIs, and web products. That makes it easier to align your React Native app with your backend and your public site or portal.
- Transparent scope, timelines, and ownership — You get a clear plan, milestones, and regular demos. No hand-wavy promises, and no disappearing act after launch.
- Based in Phoenix, working globally — Being anchored in Phoenix, AZ gives us overlap with most North American and European time zones, which helps with tight feedback loops.
- Long-term partner, not just a one-off vendor — If you want, we stay involved with support and maintenance, new features, and occasional performance sprints instead of leaving you with a pile of code.
Questions founders usually ask
Do we really need to migrate, or can you just "fix" our existing apps?
Sometimes a focused optimization or cleanup is enough. During the initial audit, we will be honest if a smaller React Native introduction, a performance sprint, or even staying native is a better move than a full migration.
How long does a typical React Native migration take?
For a parity-focused brownfield migration of a defined set of screens, expect around 8 to 14 weeks. A full greenfield rebuild with UX redesign and several integrations often runs 12 to 20 weeks. Exact timelines depend on scope, integrations, and how quickly we can get feedback from your team.
What budget range should we plan for?
A minimal brownfield introduction or performance engagement is usually closer to the lower end of a typical custom mobile project, while a full multi-platform rebuild sits higher. We can share realistic ranges and options after a short call and a look at your current apps. Our pricing guide explains how we structure engagements.
Will our team be able to maintain the React Native app after you are done?
Yes. A core part of the engagement is setting your developers up for success: clean architecture, documentation, patterns they can follow, and optional training sessions. If you prefer, we can stay on as a long-term extension of your team as well.
What if we already have a React Native app that is slow and unstable?
We often step into existing React Native projects that are struggling. In that case we start with a focused audit, identify architectural issues, performance bottlenecks, and release problems, then either stabilize what you have or agree together that a targeted rebuild is safer.
How do we get started with BYBOWU?
You do not need a long specification. Share your app links, a short description of your stack and pain points, and access to repositories if possible. From there we prepare a concise migration approach, timelines, and budget options so you can make a clear decision.
Start with a low-risk React Native migration review
You do not have to commit to a full rebuild to talk to us. A short conversation is enough for an initial plan.
- Request a React Native migration review using the contact form or by emailing [email protected].
- Share your current apps and goals so we can assess the risks, recommend brownfield vs greenfield, and outline timelines.
- Start with a pilot that tackles one meaningful flow, proves the approach, and keeps optionality for future phases.
If you are near Phoenix, we are happy to meet in person. If not, we regularly work with remote teams across the US, Europe, and beyond.
