June 2024 Summaries

Yung Chomsky, a software developer and podcast producer, shares his journey of creating a mobile app called phomo, designed to streamline his daily routine of photographing outfits. Initially a web developer, Chomsky ventured into mobile app development using React Native and Expo, which facilitated the transition by simplifying complex native development processes. He highlights the capabilities of phomo, such as capturing high-quality photos, utilizing tags for search, and offering interactive charts, emphasizing its free availability on iOS with an Android version forthcoming. Chomsky discusses both the ease and challenges encountered, such as performance optimization, debugging, and platform differences between iOS and Android, while praising the supportive documentation and community resources available for React Native and Expo. He encourages web developers to explore mobile development, leveraging their existing skills to overcome challenges, and hints at future expansions for phomo and additional technical articles to aid others in similar pursuits.

Developers utilizing the Expo push notifications service must migrate to the Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) HTTP v1 API by July 20th, as Google is discontinuing the FCM legacy API. To facilitate this transition, developers need to create a new FCM v1 credential and upload it to the Expo Application Services (EAS). While Expo has integrated support for the FCM HTTP v1 API, the migration requires manual credential updates since the credentials differ from the legacy API. After uploading the new credentials, developers can test their applications using the FCM v1 API by modifying their HTTP requests to the Expo push notification service. This change is crucial for continuing to send push notifications to Android devices, and developers are advised to update their client code to the latest versions of expo-notifications and Expo SDK 51. Support is available via Expo's support channels for any issues during the transition, and developers are encouraged to delete their legacy credentials once satisfied with the FCM v1 functionality.

In August 2023, MangaYo!, Italy's largest manga e-commerce business, partnered with Belka, a digital product studio, to create an e-commerce application that allows users to document their manga collections and purchase manga. The app was developed in just three months using Expo and Supabase, leading to a successful launch in November during LuccaComics, Europe's largest comics festival. MangaYo! quickly garnered 24,000 users by providing a platform where users can manage their manga inventories and make purchases. The development team, consisting of Fabrizio Rizzonelli, Anas Araid, and Federica Vacca, leveraged Expo for its robust documentation and ecosystem, enabling them to focus on building features efficiently. They utilized EAS Build and various Expo plugins to automate tasks, enhancing their productivity. The app continues to grow, adding around 400 new users daily, and future updates aim to introduce features like Instagram-like stories and notifications for new manga releases, positioning it as a comprehensive tool for manga enthusiasts.