How to Reduce App Size in React Native: Tips and Tricks for 2025-26

When building a mobile app, app size is a critical factor for user adoption. A large app takes longer to download, consumes extra storage, and can even discourage potential users from installing it. For businesses, this means higher uninstall rates and reduced adoption.

React Native is a great framework for building cross-platform apps, but if not optimized, the final app package can become unnecessarily heavy due to libraries, images, and build artifacts. But with the right optimizations, you can shrink your app size without compromising functionality.

Here’s a practical guide with proven tips and tricks to reduce your React Native app size in 2025-26.

Best Practices to Optimize React Native App Size for Better Performance

Reducing app size directly impacts user adoption, retention, and overall performance. Below are some practical and proven techniques you can apply to make your React Native app lighter, faster, and more efficient without compromising on features.

1. Enable Proguard (Android)

Proguard is a tool that removes unused code and optimizes your Java/Kotlin bytecode.

Steps:

1. Open android/app/build.gradle.

2. Ensure Proguard is enabled for release builds:

release {
      minifyEnabled true
      proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android.txt'),
 'proguard-rules.pro'
    }
    

Add rules to keep classes you need, e.g., for Firebase or other libraries.

Benefit: This strips out unused classes and methods, leading to smaller APKs or App Bundles.

2. Enable Hermes Engine

Hermes is a lightweight JavaScript engine optimized for React Native. It reduces app size and improves runtime performance.

Steps:

Open android/app/build.gradle.

Enable Hermes:

project.ext.react = [
      enableHermes: true
    ]
    

Rebuild the app:

cd android && ./gradlew clean && ./gradlew assembleRelease
    

This approach improves app performance with faster startup times and reduces APK size significantly.

3. Remove Unused Dependencies

Every npm package increases bundle size. Audit your dependencies:

npm prune
    npm uninstall <unused-package>
    

• Tip: Tools like depcheck help identify unused packages.
• Benefit: Cleaner, faster builds and reduced bundle size.

4. Split APKs (Android Only)

Split APKs per architecture (armeabi-v7a, arm64-v8a, x86) to reduce download size.

Different devices use different CPU architectures, so shipping a single universal APK makes your app unnecessarily large.

Steps:

android {
      splits {
        abi {
          enable true
          reset()
          include 'armeabi-v7a', 'arm64-v8a', 'x86'
          universalApk false
        }
      }
    }
    

Benefit: Users only download the version suited for their device, keeping downloads smaller.

5. Optimize Images

Images are usually the largest contributor to app size.

Tips:

• Use WebP instead of PNG/JPG.
• Compress images using TinyPNG or ImageOptim.
• Load images via network instead of bundling them in the APK if possible.
• Use vector icons (e.g., react-native-vector-icons) instead of multiple PNGs.

Benefit: Significant reduction in storage usage without losing quality.

6. Remove Unused Fonts & Assets

Unused fonts, audio files, or icons quietly bloat your app. Regularly audit your assets folder and delete anything that isn’t referenced in your code.

7. Enable App Bundle (.aab)

Google Play now recommends distributing apps as Android App Bundles instead of APKs to generate optimized APKs per device.

Steps

cd android && ./gradlew bundleRelease
    

Benefit: Play Store delivers optimized APKs per device, reducing download sizes automatically.

8. Enable Code Splitting & Lazy Loading

Load JS modules only when needed.

Example:

const HeavyComponent = React.lazy(() => import('./HeavyComponent'));
    

Benefit: Reduces initial bundle size and speeds up app startup.

9. Strip Debug & Console Logs

Remove console logs, debug statements, and dev dependencies in release builds:

npm install babel-plugin-transform-remove-console --save-dev
    

Add to .babelrc:

{
     "env": {
      "production": {
       "plugins": ["transform-remove-console"]
      }
     }
    }
    

Benefit: Cleaner, lighter, and faster JavaScript bundles.

10. iOS Specific Optimizations

For iOS apps, focus on:

• Enabling Bitcode in Xcode.
• Removing unused architectures (armv7, i386) in release builds.
• Compressing asset catalogs (.xcassets) using Xcode’s Asset Compression.

Benefit: Reduces app size and ensures smoother App Store distribution.

11. Monitor App Size

Regularly check your APK or AAB size:

cd android && ./gradlew app:assembleRelease
    

Use apk analyzer in Android Studio to inspect which files take the most space.

Key Takeaways to Reducing React Native App Size

• Turn on Hermes and Proguard for immediate impact.
• Remove unused libraries, fonts, and assets.
• Use App Bundles and split APKs for Android.
• Compress images and load heavy features only when needed.
• Monitor app size throughout development, not just before release.

Optimizing React Native App Size and Performance

A smaller app isn’t just about saving storage, it’s about user experience and adoption. Users prefer apps that download quickly, run smoothly, and don’t take up unnecessary space.

By following these tips, you can ensure your React Native app is lean, efficient, and user-friendly, giving it a competitive edge in the market. For businesses keeping up with the latest improvements, understanding updates like those in React Native 0.81 can also help optimize performance and leverage new features effectively.

If you’re looking to build or optimize a high-performing React Native app, Softices is a trusted React Native app development company. With expertise in app optimization, performance tuning, and modern best practices, we help businesses create apps that are not only feature-rich but also lightweight and fast, ensuring maximum user engagement.