RN_ExpoInstallation.md

title	Expo Installation
category	5f9705393c689a065c409b23
parentDoc	645213236f53a00d4daa9230
order	2
hidden	false

Install AppsFlyer in an Expo managed project

Prerequisite: react-native-appsflyer 7.0.0+ requires React Native ≥ 0.76 with the New Architecture (TurboModules) enabled — see Installation. On Expo, that means SDK 52+ with a development build (New Architecture is on by default from SDK 52).

1. Install expo-dev-client. You can read more about expo development builds here:

expo install expo-dev-client

2. Install react-native-appsflyer:

expo install react-native-appsflyer

3. Add react-native-appsflyer into the plugins array inside the app.json file of your app:

...
"plugins": [
      [
        "react-native-appsflyer",
        {
          "shouldUseStrictMode": false,          // optional – kids-apps strict mode
          "shouldUsePurchaseConnector": true,    // optional – enables Purchase Connector
          "preferAppsFlyerBackupRules": false    // optional – use AppsFlyer SDK backup rules (default: false)
        }
      ]
    ],
...

4. optional If you are developing a kids app and you wish to use our strict mode, you should add "shouldUseStrictMode": true as followed:

...
"plugins": [
      [
        "react-native-appsflyer",{"shouldUseStrictMode": true}
      ]
    ],
...

Automatic iOS AppDelegate integration

Running expo prebuild with the plugin installed automatically modifies your AppDelegate (both the Swift template used by Expo SDK 52+ and the legacy Objective-C template) to wire up deep linking and attribution. You do not need to add these calls yourself. The plugin injects, all via AppsFlyerAttribution.shared (one import — react_native_appsflyer):

• AppsFlyerAttribution.shared.handleLaunchOptions(launchOptions) in didFinishLaunchingWithOptions
• AppsFlyerAttribution.shared.handleOpen(url, options:) in the openURL method
• AppsFlyerAttribution.shared.continueUserActivity(userActivity, restorationHandler:) in the continueUserActivity method

This only works if your AppDelegate matches the Expo SDK default template. If the plugin logs a warning during expo prebuild, add the three calls above manually.

To verify the injection landed, after expo prebuild --clean:

grep -n "AppsFlyerLib" ios/*/AppDelegate.swift   # or AppDelegate.m/.mm for the ObjC template

Backup Rules Configuration (Android)

The AppsFlyer SDK includes built-in backup rules in its Android manifest to ensure accurate install/reinstall detection. By default, the plugin respects your app's backup rules and does not modify them.

Default Behavior (preferAppsFlyerBackupRules: false or omitted):

• Your app's android:dataExtractionRules and android:fullBackupContent attributes are left untouched
• You maintain full control over your app's backup policy
• No manifest merge conflicts occur

Opt-in Behavior (preferAppsFlyerBackupRules: true):

• If your app defines backup rules, they will be removed to let AppsFlyer SDK's built-in rules take precedence
• This ensures AppsFlyer SDK's backup rules are used, which may improve install/reinstall detection accuracy
• Use this flag if you want AppsFlyer SDK to manage backup rules for you

When to use preferAppsFlyerBackupRules: true:

• You want AppsFlyer SDK to handle backup rules automatically
• You're experiencing issues with install/reinstall detection that may be related to backup rules
• You don't have specific backup requirements for your app

Example configuration:

{
  "expo": {
    "plugins": [
      [
        "react-native-appsflyer",
        {
          "preferAppsFlyerBackupRules": true
        }
      ]
    ]
  }
}

Handling dataExtractionRules Conflict

This conflict is now handled automatically — see the preferAppsFlyerBackupRules option in the Backup Rules Configuration section above.

The AD_ID permission for android apps

In v6.8.0 of the AppsFlyer SDK, we added the normal permission com.google.android.gms.permission.AD_ID to the SDK's AndroidManifest, to allow the SDK to collect the Android Advertising ID on apps targeting API 33. If your app is targeting children, you need to revoke this permission to comply with Google's Data policy. You can read more about it here.

Purchase Connector (optional)

Setting "shouldUsePurchaseConnector": true will:

• iOS – add the PurchaseConnector CocoaPod automatically
• Android – add appsflyer.enable_purchase_connector=true to gradle.properties

Plugin Options Summary

Option	Type	Default	Description
shouldUseStrictMode	boolean	false	Enable strict mode for kids apps
shouldUsePurchaseConnector	boolean	false	Enable Purchase Connector support
preferAppsFlyerBackupRules	boolean	false	Remove app's backup rules to use AppsFlyer SDK's built-in rules (Android only)