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Set Up Your React Native CLI Environment

Instamobile CLI templates are React Native CLI-first projects. Some of them also use Expo modules for native features such as image picking, document picking, localization, and media utilities, but they do not rely on Expo Go or Expo as the main compiler.

1. Validate Your Machine First​

If this is your first React Native project on this computer, start with the official React Native environment setup guide and make sure you can run a fresh React Native CLI app before opening a purchased template.

This avoids mixing template issues with local machine setup issues.

2. Install the Core Tooling​

At minimum, you need:

  • Node.js
  • Yarn
  • Git
  • Xcode and CocoaPods for iOS
  • Android Studio plus Android SDKs for Android

We also recommend:

  • Visual Studio Code
  • Watchman on macOS

3. Node and Yarn​

Most current Instamobile CLI templates target modern React Native and expect a recent Node 20 release. If the template ships with an .nvmrc file, use it.

nvm use

If you do not use nvm, install the Node version required by the template manually.

For Yarn, prefer Corepack instead of a global legacy Yarn install:

corepack enable
yarn --version

4. iOS Requirements​

To build for iOS, install:

  • the latest stable Xcode
  • CocoaPods

Useful checks:

xcodebuild -version
pod --version

If CocoaPods is missing, install it first before running any template:

sudo gem install cocoapods

5. Android Requirements​

To build for Android, install Android Studio and make sure you have:

  • Android SDK Platform tools
  • at least one emulator image, or a physical Android device with USB debugging enabled

Useful checks:

adb devices

Once your environment is ready, the normal Instamobile CLI workflow is:

yarn install
cd ios
pod install
cd ..
yarn start --reset-cache

Then in a second terminal run either:

yarn ios

or

yarn android

7. Important Clarification About Expo Modules​

If you see expo packages inside a React Native CLI template, that is expected for some modern templates.

That does not mean:

  • you must use Expo Go
  • you must use expo start
  • the app is no longer a React Native CLI project

It simply means the project uses a few Expo native modules inside a standard native iOS and Android codebase.

Next Steps​