It is release day, developers!
With SDK version 0.24 we bring React Native 0.83 to Vega! This version bump improves the developer experience (hello, network call inspector) and brings modern capabilities (~15x faster Metro startup and concurrent rendering on by default). The AI-powered React Native upgrade tool in the Device Builder Tools MCP (see: migration guide) makes the process easier than ever before.
Our alpha partners have been able to get real production apps to run and debug on-device in hours (not months). We hope your team sees the same monumental success! Please share your experiences with us in the developer forum.
Alongside the RN update, V0.24 delivers CLI-based Developer Mode authentication, a WebView 4.0 major upgrade, a new accessibility-settings Turbo Module, and a solid batch of fixes across the toolchain. A few new features (Parental Controls and Copy/Paste now available in virtual device)
Check out the full release notes here. Once you dig in, let us know what you think of the V0.24 release with the 3-question CSAT survey.
Important Updates
React Native 0.83 for Vega is now available
You can now start migrating your React Native 0.72 projects to a more modern React Native — with React 19 and the React Compiler (no more manual
memoization), Hermes v1, Yoga 3.x, new React Native DevTools, ~15x faster Metro startup, and new styling likeboxShadowandfilter. The Concurrent Renderer (Fabric) is on by default. RN 0.72 remains supported, so you can migrate on your own timeline.
Intel Mac (x86_64) support reaches end of life
SDK v0.24 will be the final version that supports Intel Mac (x86_64) and will provide only security fixes. Support reaches end of life and updates stop entirely on December 15, 2026. Apple has confirmed macOS 26 (Tahoe) is the last Intel-compatible release.
Action required: Migrate to an Apple Silicon Mac or Ubuntu x86_64 before that date, including any CI/CD pipelines running on Intel macOS runners.
Experimental APIs are being deprecated
As part of the transition from Open Beta, experimental APIs are on the path to deprecation. They remain in the OS and SDK for this release, so apps that use them keep working, but all experimental IDLs and APIs will be removed in SDK 2.0.
Action required: If your app uses experimental APIs, plan to migrate off them before SDK 2.0. New apps shouldn’t adopt them.
What’s New
Authenticate Developer Mode from the CLI
Enabling Developer Mode now authenticates with your Developer Portal credentials straight from the CLI. Run vega devmode login to open a browser-based auth flow, then vega devmode enable-device --code <code> with the six-digit code from your device’s Developer Options screen. This links the device to your account and organization automatically (and prompts you to pick an org if you belong to more than one). No more manually allowlisting devices in the portal.
See Developer forum announcement and instructions plus the Configure Developer Mode tech doc resource.
Capture Rendered UI from the Virtual Device
The Vega Virtual Device now has a Dump Rendered Contents feature that allows you to inspect displayed content or the complete view-hierarchy tree. Find this feature in a right-click menu and use it for debugging layout issues, verifying UI content, auditing accessibility properties, or extracting text for localization testing. Similar to render tree inspection available in Appium Inspector, but integrated directly with the VVD for convenience.
See Run apps on the Vega Virtual Device
Parental Controls on the Virtual Device
The VVD now supports the Parental Controls (PCON) integration, so you can exercise parental-control behavior during local development and testing without a physical device.
See Run apps on the Vega Virtual Device
Accessibility Settings TurboModule
A new @amazon-devices-scoped accessibility-settings TurboModule, KeplerA11ySettingsInterfaceTurbo, gives React Native apps programmatic access to closed-caption styles and other system accessibility settings. Query caption font, color, and background at runtime to render captions that respect the viewer’s preferences. Reading settings is open to apps; setting values is gated by a runtime privilege.
WebView 4.0 for React Native 0.83
WebView in v0.24 is based on Chromium 144 and now supports both RN tracks: WebView 3.5.7 for RN 0.72 and WebView 4.0.0+ for RN 0.83 (shipping at 4.0.2). WebView 4.0.x adds web-platform capabilities (JavaScript alert dialogs, the Web Audio API) and a default cleartext-HTTP security policy. WebView for RN 0.72 will be deprecated in upcoming releases.
Update your dependency to "@amazon-devices/webview": "~4.0.2" and run npm install.
See Vega Web Apps