# Native Handlers
Stream Chat React Native uses native features and supports both React Native CLI and [Expo](https://expo.io/), each with different native packages.
To handle this, the SDK is split into `stream-chat-react-native-core` plus either `stream-chat-react-native` or `stream-chat-expo`. The non-core package calls `registerNativeHandlers` so the core package can use platform-specific implementations for the same tasks.
## Best Practices
- Register handlers once during app startup, not inside components.
- Mirror the SDK’s handler signatures to avoid runtime mismatches.
- Override only the handlers you need to change; keep the rest default.
- Verify Expo vs. RN CLI dependencies before swapping implementations.
- Test media flows after overriding handlers to confirm parity.
## Overriding Handlers
You can override native handlers with `registerNativeHandlers`. Use the same function the SDK uses internally, return the same types, and follow the SDK type definitions in the default implementations.
### Example
Haptic feedback is used for certain presses and in the image viewer. If you don’t want it, replace the handler.
```tsx
import { registerNativeHandlers } from "stream-chat-react-native";
registerNativeHandlers({
triggerHaptic: () => null,
});
```
Register handlers outside the component lifecycle to avoid re-registering.
## Handlers
These handlers map to different native packages depending on whether you use Expo or React Native CLI.
### `Audio`
The handler used to play audio files and for voice recording.
| React Native CLI | Expo |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| [`react-native-audio-recorder-player`](https://github.com/hyochan/react-native-audio-recorder-player) & [`react-native-blob-util`](https://github.com/RonRadtke/react-native-blob-util) | [`expo-av`](https://docs.expo.dev/versions/latest/sdk/av/) or [`expo-audio`](https://docs.expo.dev/versions/latest/sdk/audio/) |
`expo-audio` is supported from version `7.2.0` of `stream-chat-expo`.
Even though both libraries are supported and adapted to a singular API, different supported `Expo` versions do not work interoperably with each of the libraries.
More specifically, if you're using Expo `51.x.x` or `52.x.x` please make sure to keep using `expo-av` as `expo-audio` is unstable and will likely not work properly in those versions.
Conversely, if you're using Expo `>=53.0.0`, please make sure to use `expo-audio` as support for `expo-av` has stopped completely in favor of the new library. While it is already not supported, Expo `54` is not going to contain `expo-av` at all in Expo Go, meaning the sooner you get to go to Expo `53` and use the new library, the better.
### `overrideAudioRecordingConfiguration`
A handler to override the audio recording config used by [`Audio`](#audio). It’s a transformer: input `Audio.audioRecordingConfiguration`, return a modified config of the same type. The result is set on the `Audio` singleton.
| React Native CLI | Expo |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `(config: RNCLIAudioRecordingConfiguration) => RNCLIAudioRecordingConfiguration` | `(config: ExpoAudioRecordingConfiguration) => ExpoAudioRecordingConfiguration` |
Types are defined in the SDK: [RN CLI](https://github.com/GetStream/stream-chat-react-native/v8/blob/develop/package/native-package/src/optionalDependencies/Audio.ts) and [Expo](https://github.com/GetStream/stream-chat-react-native/v8/blob/develop/package/expo-package/src/optionalDependencies/Audio.ts).
RN CLI follows `react-native-audio-recorder-player` config; Expo follows `expo-av` (and `expo-audio` is compatible with that config).
### `compressImage`
Async function that compresses an image and returns the local `uri`.
| Expo |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [`expo-image-manipulator`](https://docs.expo.io/versions/latest/sdk/imagemanipulator/) |
### `deleteFile`
Deletes a file at a local `uri`.
| React Native CLI | Expo |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [`react-native-blob-util`](https://github.com/RonRadtke/react-native-blob-util) | [`expo-file-system`](https://docs.expo.io/versions/latest/sdk/filesystem/) |
### `getLocalAssetUri`
Gets the local `uri` of an image or remote asset.
| React Native CLI | Expo |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [`@react-native-camera-roll/camera-roll`](https://github.com/react-native-cameraroll/react-native-cameraroll) | [`expo-media-library`](https://docs.expo.io/versions/latest/sdk/media-library/) |
### `getPhotos`
Returns photos from the camera roll using `after` (offset) and `first` (count).
| React Native CLI | Expo |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [`@react-native-camera-roll/camera-roll`](https://github.com/react-native-cameraroll/react-native-cameraroll) | [`expo-media-library`](https://docs.expo.io/versions/latest/sdk/media-library/) |
### `pickDocument`
Opens the document picker and returns selected documents.
| React Native CLI | Expo |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [`@react-native-documents/picker`](https://github.com/react-native-documents/document-picker) | [`expo-document-picker`](https://docs.expo.io/versions/latest/sdk/document-picker/) |
### `pickImage`
Opens the native image picker and returns selected images.
| React Native CLI | Expo |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [`react-native-image-picker`](https://github.com/react-native-image-picker/react-native-image-picker) | [`expo-image-picker`](https://docs.expo.io/versions/latest/sdk/imagepicker/) |
### `saveFile`
Saves a file from a URL to local storage.
| React Native CLI | Expo |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [`react-native-blob-util`](https://github.com/RonRadtke/react-native-blob-util) | [`expo-file-system`](https://docs.expo.io/versions/latest/sdk/filesystem/) |
### `SDK`
String identifying which package is used: `stream-chat-react-native` or `stream-chat-expo`.
| React Native CLI | Expo |
| -------------------------- | ------------------ |
| _stream-chat-react-native_ | _stream-chat-expo_ |
### `setClipboardString`
Copies text to the clipboard.
| React Native CLI | Expo |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| [`react-native-clipboard`](https://github.com/react-native-clipboard/clipboard) | [`expo-clipboard`](https://docs.expo.dev/versions/latest/sdk/clipboard/) |
### `shareImage`
Shares an image using the OS share sheet.
| React Native CLI | Expo |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| [`react-native-blob-util`](https://github.com/RonRadtke/react-native-blob-util) & [`react-native-share`](https://github.com/react-native-share/react-native-share) | [`expo-file-system`](https://docs.expo.io/versions/latest/sdk/filesystem/) & [`expo-sharing`](https://docs.expo.io/versions/latest/sdk/sharing/) |
### `takePhoto`
Opens the OS camera to capture an image or video and returns the result.
On iOS, the same camera instance can be used to capture image and video by switching tabs.
On Android, image and video use different camera instances. Pass `mediaType` as `image` or `video`.
| React Native CLI | Expo |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [`react-native-image-picker`](https://github.com/react-native-image-picker/react-native-image-picker) | [`expo-image-picker`](https://docs.expo.io/versions/latest/sdk/imagepicker/) |
### `triggerHaptic`
Triggers haptic feedback for a given type.
| React Native CLI | Expo |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [`react-native-haptic-feedback`](https://github.com/junina-de/react-native-haptic-feedback) | [`expo-haptics`](https://docs.expo.io/versions/latest/sdk/haptics/) |
### `Sound`
Renders audio attachments.
| React Native CLI | Expo |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| [`react-native-video`](https://github.com/react-native-video/react-native-video) | [`expo-av`](https://docs.expo.dev/versions/latest/sdk/av/) or [`expo-audio`](https://docs.expo.dev/versions/latest/sdk/audio/) |
`expo-audio` is supported from version `7.2.0` of `stream-chat-expo`.
Even though both libraries are supported and adapted to a singular API, different supported `Expo` versions do not work interoperably with each of the libraries.
More specifically, if you're using Expo `51.x.x` or `52.x.x` please make sure to keep using `expo-av` as `expo-audio` is unstable and will likely not work properly in those versions.
Conversely, if you're using Expo `>=53.0.0`, please make sure to use `expo-audio` as support for `expo-av` has stopped completely in favor of the new library. While it is already not supported, Expo `54` is not going to contain `expo-av` at all in Expo Go, meaning the sooner you get to go to Expo `53` and use the new library, the better.
### `Video`
Renders video in the image gallery when a video attachment is opened.
| React Native CLI | Expo |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [`react-native-video`](https://github.com/react-native-video/react-native-video) | [`expo-video`](https://docs.expo.dev/versions/latest/sdk/video/) |
---
This page was last updated at 2026-04-17T17:33:45.479Z.
For the most recent version of this documentation, visit [https://getstream.io/chat/docs/sdk/react-native/v8/customization/native_handlers/](https://getstream.io/chat/docs/sdk/react-native/v8/customization/native_handlers/).