Why we use it
It is the fastest way to see your app on a real phone. Save a file and the phone updates in about a second (Fast Refresh). You don't need a Mac or an emulator.
Setup (2 minutes)
- Install Expo Go from the Play Store or App Store.
- Connect your phone to the same Wi-Fi as your laptop.
- Run
npx expo start, then scan the QR code (Android: in Expo Go · iOS: with the Camera app).
Note
Expo Go is a learning tool. For a production app you would use a development build. You don’t need one for the labs.
Common problems
Phone can't connect to the dev server
Cause
Your phone and laptop are on different networks, or campus Wi-Fi blocks devices from reaching each other.
Fix
Put both on the same network, or use tunnel mode.
Run
npx expo start --tunnel"Project is incompatible with this version of Expo Go"
Cause
Expo Go supports one SDK version at a time.
Fix
Update Expo Go from the store, or check your SDK version.
Run
npx expo --version