Metamask Integration Issues in React Native Expo Project

As a React Native developer using Expo, you’re likely familiar with the convenience of integrating external SDKs for authentication and payment processing. However, when working with Metamask (formerly known as MetaMask), integration has become increasingly complicated due to changes in their SDK.

In this article, we’ll explore the issues encountered when trying to integrate Metamask with a React Native Expo project, despite building it using CLI tools successfully.

The Problem:

When you initially set up your Expo project using the create-react-native-app command with CLI (Command Line Interface) tools, everything seemed fine. However, after upgrading to Expo 0.18.1 or later and trying to integrate the Metamask SDK, the integration did not work as expected.

The Issue:

Unfortunately, it appears that the Metamask SDK is not compatible with Expo 0.18.1 or later versions. The reasons behind this are not explicitly stated in the Metamask documentation, but we can deduce some potential causes:

  • Expo’s new dependency management: Expo has shifted its focus to a more explicit module system (MVS) for managing dependencies. This change may have caused compatibility issues with older SDKs such as Metamask.

  • Metamask SDK changes: It is possible that the Metamask SDK has undergone significant updates that have broken the integration with Expo.

Workarounds and Solutions:

Given the challenges encountered above, here are some potential solutions to try:

Metamask: react native with expo not working with metamask sdk

1. Downgrade to an earlier version of Metamask

Try downgrading your Metamask SDK from the latest version (e.g., v2.8.x) back to a previous version that is compatible with Expo in earlier versions.

npm install @metamask/sdk@v1.10.0

2. Use an older version of Expo

If you are unable to downgrade your Metamask SDK, try creating a new Expo project using an older version of the create-react-native-app command (e.g., Expo 0.17.1 or earlier).

npx react-native init MyApp --version 0.16.3

3. Use an older version of Metamask

If you are unable to create a new Expo project, try using the older @metamask/sdk package.

npm install @metamask/sdk@v1.7.2

4. Disable authentication in your React Native app

Try disabling authentication in your React Native app to see if Metamask integration works as expected.

import { initializeWeb3 } from '@metamask/sdk';

const web3 = initializeWeb3({

// Disable authentication for this application

});

Conclusion:

In conclusion, integrating Metamask with a React Native Expo project can be challenging due to compatibility issues with the latest version of Expo. By trying downgrading or using an older version of Metamask SDK, you may be able to resolve the integration issue.

If none of these workarounds solve your problem, please provide more details about your project setup and code, including:

  • The version of Metamask SDK you are using

  • The version of Expo you’re targeting

  • Any error messages or stack traces that appear

This will help us better understand the issue and provide a more accurate solution.

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