Generate APK file from React Native + Expo App

To generate an APK from your Expo app, follow these steps:

  1. Build your app using Expo Application Services (EAS) by running the following command in your terminal:

     eas build --platform android
    
  2. Download the .AAB file from EAS after the build completes.

  3. Download the BundleTool from GitHub using this link:
    Download BundleTool

  4. Once downloaded, use the following command to convert the .AAB file into APK(s):

     java -jar bundletool-all-1.18.0.jar build-apks --bundle=app.aab --output=stickersmash.apks --mode=universal
    

    Replace app.aab with the name of your own .AAB file. This will generate a .apks file (e.g., stickersmash.apks).

  5. Rename the .apks file to .zip.

  6. Extract the ZIP file. Inside, you will find the universal.apk file, which you can now install on your Android device.


Note: The stickersmash name used here is specifically for this demo app tutorial, created by the Expo team. You can freely use this guide to build and generate APKs for your own Expo apps using the exact steps provided above.

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Abhinab Choudhury
Abhinab Choudhury