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Eric Bishard
Eric Bishard

Posted on • Edited on

Setup Mac M1 Silicon for ReactNative Development

#mobile #reactnative #development

Set NVM to 18: 

nvm install 18 
nvm use 18
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Install Watchman with Brew 

brew install watchman
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Ruby Setup

*Install rbenv for Ruby version management *

brew install rbenv
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*Set up rbenv in your shell *

rbenv init
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*Install Ruby 2.7.6 (recommended for React Native) *

rbenv install 2.7.6 rbenv global 2.7.6
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*Verify Ruby version *

ruby -v
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Install Xcode

From Apple Store

[✓] macOS 16.1 (built-in)
[✓] iOS 18.1

Manually Install Xcode iOS Simulator:

  1. Open Xcode
  2. Xcode → Preferences → Components
  3. Download a simulator (iOS 16+ recommended)

Install Xcode command line should now be installed? If not: 

xcode-select --install
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You can run several commands to verify your Xcode setup:
First, check that Xcode command line tools are installed:

xcode-select --version
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Verify Xcode's location:

xcode-select -p
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Should typically show /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer

Check the full Xcode version:

xcodebuild -version
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Verify iOS simulator is installed:

xcrun simctl list devices
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This should show you a list of available iOS simulators.
If any of these commands fail, you might need to:

Accept Xcode license:

sudo xcodebuild -license accept
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Or reinstall command line tools:

xcode-select --install
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Install CocoaPods 

sudo gem install cocoapods
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If CocoaPods doesn't install because there's a Ruby version conflict. Maybe you're running Ruby 2.6.10, but you need at least Ruby 2.7.0.
Here's how to fix this:

Install a newer version of Ruby using Homebrew:

brew install ruby
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Add the new Ruby to your PATH in your .zshrc file:

echo 'export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/ruby/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc 
source ~/.zshrc
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Verify you have the new Ruby version:

ruby -v
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(Should show a version >= 2.7.0)

Try installing Cocoapods again:

sudo gem install cocoapods
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After installation, verify Cocoapods is installed:

pod --version
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A lot can go wrong at this juncture, I suggest if you have any issues, using Claude or ChatGPT to troubleshoot and don't move on until you can see all versions installed from your terminal and all paths are correct in your .zshrc etc...

Install Android Studio: 

brew install --cask android-studio
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Android Studio Setup:

  • Open Android Studio
  • Complete initial setup wizard (Choose Custom)
  • Install Android SDK (via Tools → SDK Manager):
    • Android SDK Platform 14 (API 34)
    • Intel x86 Atom_64 System Image or Google APIs Intel x86 Atom System Image
    • Android SDK Build-Tools
    • NDK (Side by side)
    • CMake

Configure Environment Variables:

Add to your ~/.zshrc or ~/.bash_profile:

export ANDROID_HOME=$HOME/Library/Android/sdk
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/emulator
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/tools
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/tools/bin
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Create Android Virtual Device (AVD):

  • Open Android Studio
  • Tools → AVD Manager
  • Create Virtual Device
  • Select a device definition (e.g., Pixel 4)
  • Select a system image (API 35 recommended)

Install Java Runtime

For M1 Macs, you'll need to install the ARM64 version of the JDK (Java Development Kit). The simplest way to install it is:

brew tap homebrew/cask-versions
brew install --cask zulu17
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This will install Azul Zulu JDK 17, which is compatible with Android Studio and React Native development on M1 Macs. To verify the installation:

java -version
javac --version
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This will give you OpenJDK 17, which works well with Android development on M1 Macs.

Verification Steps

Install React Native CLI?

The react-native-cli global package is actually deprecated. Instead, you should use @react-native-community/cli which comes bundled with the npx command.

If already installed, you can safely uninstall the global CLI:

npm uninstall -g react-native-cli
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And instead, when creating new projects, use:

npx react-native init ProjectName
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This approach is preferred because:

  • It ensures you always use the latest version of the CLI
  • Avoids global package installations
  • Prevents version conflicts

Create a test project:

npx react-native init TestProject --template react-native-template-typescript
cd TestProject
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Test iOS setup:

cd ios && pod install && cd ..
npx react-native run-ios
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Test Android setup:

# Start Android emulator first
npx react-native run-android
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Troubleshooting

If you encounter M1-specific issues:

For iOS: Try adding this to your Podfile:

post_install do |installer|
  installer.pods_project.targets.each do |target|
    target.build_configurations.each do |config|
      config.build_settings['EXCLUDED_ARCHS[sdk=iphonesimulator*]'] = "arm64"
    end
  end
end
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For Android: Ensure you're using the ARM64 system image when creating AVD

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