Not every app needs to land in a store. For a family project, an internal company prototype, or during development, there are several ways to share an app WITHOUT waiting for a store review or even needing a paid account at all.

1. Share an Expo Go link (free, instant)

As long as the app doesn't need custom native libraries outside the Expo Go selection, a simple link is enough. Running npx expo start in "tunnel" mode (works across different networks too, not just the same Wi-Fi) generates a link that anyone with Expo Go installed can open:

npx expo start --tunnel

2. TestFlight, internal testers ($99/year, see chapter 16)

As described in the previous chapter: up to 100 internal testers, no waiting on a store review. Requires the paid Apple Developer Program, but NOT a full app review.

3. Android: share the APK file directly (free, no account needed)

Unlike iOS, Android allows installing apps outside the official store ("sideloading"). EAS Build can produce an installable .apk file that you can share via email, USB cable, or cloud storage:

eas build --platform android --profile preview

The preview profile (instead of production) produces a directly installable .apk rather than a store-typical .aab bundle. The recipient has to confirm "allow installation from unknown sources" the first time – a clear, but one-time, Android security prompt.

4. Web preview in the browser

Expo can also export parts of a React Native app (as long as it uses only standard components without native-specific features) as a regular website – useful for quickly showing something in the browser without installing any app at all:

npx expo start --web

This opens the app in your default browser. Not every React Native component has a web equivalent (e.g. certain camera or sensor access), but for UI-heavy screens like our product list it usually works surprisingly well.

Overview: which path for which purpose