Why Has Shopify Dropped React Native?

TL;DR

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Shopify has said native development is the future for its mobile apps, after moving all six apps to React Native in 2020. The Pragmatic Engineer reports that Shopify rewrote the Shop app in native code in 12 weeks, with stronger AI coding tools helping make the work more practical. Shopify’s full migration plans and the precise role of AI in the decision have not been detailed in the supplied material.

Shopify says native development is the future for its mobile apps, reversing a 2020 decision to move its six apps to React Native. The Pragmatic Engineer reports that Shopify rewrote the Shop app in native code in 12 weeks, a shift that reflects how improved AI coding tools may have changed the cost and speed of building for iOS and Android.

Shopify adopted React Native in 2020 after Android development delays made it difficult to deliver updates consistently across platforms. The company wanted more consistent iOS and Android apps, and the move was considered successful for years. According to The Pragmatic Engineer, Shopify eventually moved all six of its apps to React Native.

The report says Shopify’s latest change followed advances in AI coding tools, which can now help with mobile as well as backend code. It argues that React Native’s added abstractions may offer less benefit when developers can produce native code more quickly. The Shop app rewrite reportedly took 12 weeks; the source does not provide a detailed schedule, staffing breakdown or independent account of the project.

Shopify’s announcement prompted debate among mobile developers, according to the report. It echoes earlier shifts in the industry, including Airbnb’s move from React Native back to native development after adopting the framework in 2016. The report identifies performance as a shared concern in Airbnb’s case, but does not establish that performance was Shopify’s main reason.

AI Changes the Mobile Trade-Off

Shopify’s decision is a prominent example of how AI-assisted coding may change cross-platform development choices. React Native can help teams share code across iOS and Android, but the framework also adds a layer between application code and each platform. If AI tools reduce the time needed to write and maintain separate native apps, companies may reassess whether that shared layer saves enough effort.

The reported 12-week rewrite gives the debate a concrete example, though it does not establish how quickly other companies could make the same change. The decision matters to teams weighing development speed, platform-specific capabilities and performance. The source also cautions that AI assistance is not unique to native development: it can support work in React Native, Flutter and Kotlin Multiplatform as well.

Shopify’s 2020 React Native Bet

Shopify’s 2020 decision came as mobile was central to buyer activity. In a statement quoted by The Pragmatic Engineer, then Head of Engineering Farhan Thawar said that 71% of buyers purchased on mobile in the third quarter of 2019. He also said mobile accounted for an average of 69% of sales during that year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday period, with mobile purchases rising three percentage points from the previous year.

The company already had native iOS and Android apps, but the report says slow Android development was a key problem. React Native offered a way to make progress across both platforms with a shared approach. The latest reversal comes as coding tools have improved, changing the practical balance between shared code and platform-specific apps.

The report also points to Kotlin Multiplatform as another option. It lets teams share business logic written in Kotlin while keeping platform interfaces native. Whether Shopify will use it, or how its other apps will change, is not specified in the source.

““Each quarter, the majority of buyers purchase on mobile (with 71% of our buyers purchasing on mobile in Q3 of last year [in 2019]).””

— Farhan Thawar, Shopify’s then Head of Engineering, quoted in The Pragmatic Engineer

Migration Details Remain Open

The supplied source does not specify which of Shopify’s six apps have moved to native, whether all are expected to follow, or what frameworks and languages the company selected for each platform. It also does not give a direct, detailed explanation from Shopify of how much performance, maintenance or AI coding contributed to the decision.

The 12-week figure is reported by The Pragmatic Engineer, but the source excerpt does not define what work it includes or provide an independent verification. It is also unclear how Shopify will handle shared business logic and whether it will adopt Kotlin Multiplatform. The broader impact of AI on native and cross-platform development remains unsettled.

Shopify’s App Plans Ahead

The next useful measure will be how Shopify applies its native strategy across the rest of its mobile portfolio and what the company says about the reasons for the change. More information about app-by-app plans, technical choices and maintenance would help show whether the Shop rewrite is a model for broader adoption or a project specific to that app.

For mobile teams, the decision is likely to remain part of a wider evaluation: AI tools can assist native, React Native, Flutter and Kotlin Multiplatform development. The source does not identify a further announcement date or a published migration timetable.

Key Questions

Why is Shopify moving away from React Native?

The Pragmatic Engineer attributes the change in part to improved AI coding tools and to React Native’s added abstractions. The supplied source does not include a detailed direct explanation from Shopify or rank the reasons.

Did Shopify move all its apps to native?

The source says Shopify moved all six apps to React Native after its 2020 decision. It reports that the Shop app was rewritten in native code, but does not say whether the other five apps have also moved.

How long did the Shop app rewrite take?

The Pragmatic Engineer reports that the rewrite took 12 weeks. The supplied material does not explain the project scope or provide an independent verification of the timeline.

Does Shopify’s decision mean React Native is becoming obsolete?

No such conclusion is established by this report. It describes a change in Shopify’s approach, while noting that AI tools can also help developers working with React Native, Flutter and Kotlin Multiplatform.

What is Kotlin Multiplatform’s role in the discussion?

Kotlin Multiplatform lets teams share business logic across iOS and Android while keeping each platform’s interface native. The source presents it as a relevant option, but does not say Shopify has adopted it.

Source: rss