React Native Tutorial for Beginners: Build Your First Mobile App with Expo

📱 Introduction

Welcome to your first mobile app development tutorial using React Native and Expo! This step-by-step guide is ideal for beginners who want to create Android and iOS apps using just JavaScript.

🛠️ Step 1: Install Node.js & Expo CLI

Make sure you have Node.js installed. Then, install Expo CLI globally:

npm install -g expo-cli

🚀 Step 2: Create a New React Native App

npx create-expo-app my-first-app

Choose the blank template (JavaScript). Navigate to your app folder:

cd my-first-app

📱 Step 3: Run the App

npx expo start

This will open the Expo DevTools in your browser. Scan the QR code with your phone using the Expo Go app (available on Play Store/App Store).

🖼️ Step 4: Modify the Home Screen

// App.js
import { Text, View, StyleSheet } from 'react-native';

export default function App() {
  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      <Text style={styles.heading}>Welcome to My First App!</Text>
      <Text>This app is built with React Native and Expo.</Text>
    </View>
  );
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: {
    flex: 1,
    backgroundColor: '#fff',
    alignItems: 'center',
    justifyContent: 'center',
    padding: 20,
  },
  heading: {
    fontSize: 24,
    fontWeight: 'bold',
    marginBottom: 10,
  },
});

🧭 Step 5: Add Navigation

Install React Navigation:

npx expo install @react-navigation/native

npx expo install react-native-screens react-native-safe-area-context react-native-gesture-handler react-native-reanimated

npm install @react-navigation/native-stack

Create a folder screens with two files: HomeScreen.js and AboutScreen.js.

// screens/HomeScreen.js
import { View, Text, Button } from 'react-native';

export default function HomeScreen({ navigation }) {
  return (
    <View style={{ padding: 20 }}>
      <Text>This is the Home Screen</Text>
      <Button title="Go to About" onPress={() => navigation.navigate('About')} />
    </View>
  );
}

// screens/AboutScreen.js
import { View, Text } from 'react-native';

export default function AboutScreen() {
  return (
    <View style={{ padding: 20 }}>
      <Text>This is the About Screen</Text>
    </View>
  );
}

🧩 Step 6: Setup Navigation in App.js

import { NavigationContainer } from '@react-navigation/native';
import { createNativeStackNavigator } from '@react-navigation/native-stack';
import HomeScreen from './screens/HomeScreen';
import AboutScreen from './screens/AboutScreen';

const Stack = createNativeStackNavigator();

export default function App() {
  return (
    <NavigationContainer>
      <Stack.Navigator>
        <Stack.Screen name="Home" component={HomeScreen} />
        <Stack.Screen name="About" component={AboutScreen} />
      </Stack.Navigator>
    </NavigationContainer>
  );
}

🎉 Final Thoughts

You've now built your first React Native app with navigation! With just JavaScript and Expo, you created a working mobile app that runs on both Android and iOS. Next, you can add more features like images, lists, API integration, and Firebase! Happy Coding! 🚀