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React Native 0.72 put several developer requests into Metro, React Native’s JavaScript build tool. Announced on June 21, 2023, the release added beta support for symlinks and the package.json exports field, alongside changes to Metro configuration and error handling. These are release-era details: React Native 0.72 is an older release, so its beta flags should not be treated as current upgrade advice.
What did React Native 0.72 change?
The release focused on requested improvements to Metro and the developer experience. Its most notable Metro additions targeted two recurring sources of friction: linking packages in monorepos and resolving package entry points through exports.
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Both features were beta and opt-in in 0.72. The release also changed how projects loaded Metro configuration, with the new format becoming required in React Native 0.73. The React Native 0.72 announcement describes the changes and their release-era setup.
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A symbolic link points from one filesystem location to another. JavaScript projects often use links to make a local package available to an app without copying it into the app’s directory. That arrangement is common in monorepos, where several packages live in one repository, and in package-manager workflows such as pnpm.
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Metro’s earlier handling of linked files could make these layouts difficult to use without workarounds. React Native 0.72 introduced beta symlink support, enabled at the time with resolver.unstable_enableSymlinks. The release announcement called symlinks one of Metro’s most-requested features, but beta support did not mean every linked-project layout would work without adjustments.
The status changed in the next release: React Native 0.73 made symlink support stable and enabled it by default. Its announcement still noted monorepo edge cases, so “stable and default” should not be read as a guarantee that every repository configuration is effortless. See the React Native 0.73 announcement for that release’s status.
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What did Metro’s package.json exports support do?
The exports field lets a package declare which entry points and subpaths consumers may import. It can also define conditional targets—for example, a package may expose different files for React Native and browser environments. This gives package authors more explicit control over how their code is resolved.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteIn React Native 0.72, Metro’s support was beta and opt-in through resolver.unstable_enablePackageExports. It is distinct from symlink support: exports affects which package files imports resolve to, while symlinks affect how Metro follows linked files on disk.
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Why enabling exports could break an import
When a package has an exports field, Metro consults it before other package fields. That can change resolution in edge cases: an import that previously worked may no longer resolve if the package does not list that path in exports. The practical implication is to check the package’s declared entry points rather than assuming every internal file can be imported by path.
For the implementation’s behavior and configuration details, consult the React Native package exports explainer.
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What changed in metro.config.js?
React Native 0.72 changed the CLI’s Metro configuration loading setup so that a project’s metro.config.js controlled how it extended the base React Native configuration. The 0.72 announcement warned that the updated format would be required in 0.73; that release removed the fallback copy of defaults.
This is a migration detail, not a reason to copy a 0.72-era config into a current project. The correct configuration depends on the React Native version in use. For an upgrade, follow the documentation and release notes for the target version rather than relying on the warning from 2023 alone.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read the changes by release status
| Change | React Native 0.72 status | What followed | Why it mattered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro symlink handling | Beta; enabled with resolver.unstable_enableSymlinks |
Stable and enabled by default in 0.73 | Helped monorepo and pnpm layouts that relied on linked packages; edge cases remained. |
| Metro package exports | Beta; enabled with resolver.unstable_enablePackageExports |
The 0.72 and 0.73 announcements cited here do not establish a corresponding 0.73 stable/default transition. | Enabled package entry points, subpath aliases and conditional targets; could change resolution for undeclared imports. |
| Metro config loading | Updated project config format; announcement said it would be required in 0.73 | 0.73 removed the fallback copy of defaults | Projects needed to extend the base React Native config through their own Metro config. |
What does “React Native is listening” mean?
The phrase refers to the React Native team responding to developer feedback, including requests reflected in its 2022 community survey. In 0.72, that response was especially visible in Metro: symlink support addressed linked-package workflows, package exports addressed modern package resolution, and the config change clarified how projects extended Metro’s base setup.
It is a description of that release’s direction, not a claim that every request was implemented or that 0.72 is the current version. The official React Native blog listing includes releases through 0.87, confirming that 0.72 is historical context rather than a present-day baseline: React Native blog and release announcements.
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