The React Native Directory is the community-powered index of vetted third-party libraries for building across device form-factors. We’re thrilled to share that you can now filter for Fire OS compatible libraries and we recommend using this site when building React Native apps for mobile, desktop, and smart TVs.
Try it for yourself by selecting filters > “Works with Fire OS” or by bookmarking this URL: reactnative.directory/?fireos=true
For the last 12 months our team has been actively testing React Native libraries on our devices. Currently we have confirmed 200+ projects that are compatible with Fire TVs and Fire tablets and this list will continue to grow.
When browsing reactnative.directory libraries, hover on the ⓘ symbol it to see the “Works with Fire OS” tag.
React Native lets you “Write Once, Run Anywhere”, meaning your app is able to run across Android phones, Windows, Fire TVs, Fire tablets, Echo Show, and iOS. The beauty of React Native is how it adapts to multiple devices and capabilities, while the majority of your code remains consistent across devices.
React Native does this via the OS prop for Platform, which let’s you detect the OS details you need to implement platform-specific code, such as handling device-specific UI components, input methods (touch screen vs. remote control), memory capabilities, etc.
For example, if you implement navigation tabs using the react-native-tab-view library, the directory shows you that it works across Android, iOS and, Fire OS:
A common question we get is: if Fire OS is a fork of Android open source project (AOSP), shouldn’t all React Native libraries that run on Android devices work on Fire devices automatically? Not necessarily.
There are a few things that set Fire OS apart from stock Android, including:
- Google Play Services are not embedded within Fire OS.
- Alexa voice search functionality is available with Fire OS.
- Amazon has an additional suite of APIs and SDKs available within Fire OS.
A common assumption is that Google Play Services & auth libraries are embedded in all Android-compatible devices, but React Native libraries that require these will not function on Fire OS. Fire OS has Amazon-provided location, billing, authentication, and messaging APIs, so it’s critical to implement compatible libraries in your app. Check out the guide to Port Existing Android App to Fire OS to learn how.
Here are some great examples of libraries we tested and what they can do for your app:
- An open-source platform built with React Native, to make developing apps super simple. It has tons of additional components that are also fully compatible, including a client app that works out of the box on Fire OS, that you can modify as needed to make your own app.
- A powerful animation library that runs animations in your UI, to give your app ultra smooth performance and enable complex gesture-driven interfaces.
- A super fast key/value storage library that works 30x faster than your average storage solution.
And there are hundreds more! Be sure to check out reactnative.directory to see the full list.
For more information on how to develop a React Native app for Fire OS, check out the Android developer's guide to React Native.
If you’ve used a library in your Fire OS app or even developed a library of your own, you can submit a Pull Request to the Directory GitHub with the “fireos: true” tag to let everyone else know that you’ve tested it and it works. This is incredibly helpful for the React Native community.
If you’re not sure how to get started, but there’s a library you’re interested in, let us know in the Amazon Developer Community Space. We’ll be happy to test it out for you and let you know what happens.
Next month we’ll be releasing a guide to vibe code your own app with a library and to update reactnative.directory. See you then!
