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Version: 3.1 (Current)

Installation

This guide will help you install and configure Expo IAP in your React Native or Expo project.

Prerequisites​

Before installing Expo IAP, make sure you have:

  • Expo SDK 53+ or React Native 0.79+ (required for Android - see Kotlin 2.0+ requirement)
  • Node.js 16 or later
  • iOS 12+ for iOS apps (iOS 15+ required for StoreKit 2 features)
  • Android API level 21+ for Android apps
Android Kotlin Requirement expo-iap 3.x uses Google Play Billing Library v8, which requires Kotlin 2.0+. This is natively supported in Expo SDK 53+ (React Native 0.79+). If you're using Expo SDK 52 or earlier, see the workaround section below. :::

Package Installation​

Install the package using your favorite package manager:

npm install expo-iap

Important for Expo Managed Workflow​

If you're using the Expo managed workflow, you must use a custom development client since in-app purchases require native modules that aren't available in Expo Go.

After installing the package, you need to:

  1. Configure expo-build-properties for Android (required for Kotlin 2.0+ support):

    Starting from version 2.7, expo-iap supports Google Play Billing Library v8, which requires Kotlin 2.0+. Since expo-modules-core doesn't support Kotlin 2.0 yet, you need to manually configure the Kotlin version.

    Add the following to your app.json:

    {
      "expo": {
        "plugins": [
          "expo-iap",
          [
            "expo-build-properties",
            {
              "android": {
                "kotlinVersion": "2.1.20"
                // If you're targeting Expo SDK 54 or newer, confirm whether this manual override is still required.
                // Please share findings with the community at https://github.com/hyochan/expo-iap/discussions.
              }
            }
          ]
        ]
      }
    }

  2. Install the plugin and run prebuild:

    npx expo prebuild --clean

    This will generate the native iOS and Android directories with the necessary configurations. Learn more about adopting prebuild.

  3. Create a development build (see the Platform Configuration section below for details)

Platform Configuration​

For Expo Managed Workflow​

If you're using Expo managed workflow, you'll need to create a custom development client since in-app purchases require native modules that aren't available in Expo Go.

  1. Install EAS CLI (if not already installed):
npm install -g eas-cli
  1. Create a development build:
eas build --platform ios --profile development
eas build --platform android --profile development

For React Native CLI Projects​

If you're using React Native CLI projects, you'll need to install expo-modules-core first:

npx install-expo-modules@latest

Learn more about installing Expo modules in existing React Native projects.

Then install the native dependencies:

iOS​

  1. Install pods:

    cd ios && pod install

  2. Add StoreKit capability to your iOS app in Xcode:

    • Open your project in Xcode
    • Select your app target
    • Go to "Signing & Capabilities"
    • Click "+ Capability" and add "In-App Purchase"

Android​

Important: Starting from version 2.7, expo-iap supports Google Play Billing Library v8, which requires Kotlin 2.0+. Since expo-modules-core doesn't support Kotlin 2.0 yet, you need to configure your project with expo-build-properties.

Add the following to your app.json:

{
  "expo": {
    "plugins": [
      "expo-iap",
      [
        "expo-build-properties",
        {
          "android": {
            "kotlinVersion": "2.1.20"
          }
        }
      ]
    ]
  }
}

After adding this configuration, run:

npx expo prebuild --clean

This configuration ensures compatibility with Google Play Billing Library v8.0.0.

Configuration​

App Store Connect (iOS)​

Before you can use in-app purchases on iOS, you need to set up your products in App Store Connect:

  1. Sign in to App Store Connect
  2. Navigate to your app
  3. Go to "Features" > "In-App Purchases"
  4. Create your products with unique product IDs

Google Play Console (Android)​

For Android, set up your products in Google Play Console:

  1. Sign in to Google Play Console
  2. Navigate to your app
  3. Go to "Monetize" > "Products" > "In-app products"
  4. Create your products with unique product IDs

Verification​

To verify that Expo IAP is properly installed, create a simple test:

import {useIAP} from 'expo-iap';

function TestComponent() {
  const {connected} = useIAP();

  console.log('IAP Connection status:', connected);

  return null;
}

If everything is set up correctly, you should see the connection status logged in your console.

Next Steps​

Now that you have Expo IAP installed, you can:

Expo SDK 52 Users​

Compatibility Issue Expo SDK 52 (React Native 0.76.x) uses a Gradle plugin compiled against Kotlin 1.9.x, which is incompatible with Google Play Billing Library v8 (requires Kotlin 2.0+). This creates a build conflict that cannot be resolved by simply overriding the Kotlin version. :::

If you cannot upgrade to Expo SDK 53+, you have the following options:

Create a custom config plugin to force an older billing library version compatible with Kotlin 1.9.x:

// plugins/withBillingLibraryDowngrade.js
const {withGradleProperties} = require('@expo/config-plugins');

module.exports = function withBillingLibraryDowngrade(config) {
  return withGradleProperties(config, (config) => {
    // Force billing library version compatible with Kotlin 1.9.x
    config.modResults.push({
      type: 'property',
      key: 'billingClientVersion',
      value: '6.2.1',
    });
    return config;
  });
};

Then add it to your app.json:

{
  "expo": {
    "plugins": ["./plugins/withBillingLibraryDowngrade", "expo-iap"]
  }
}

Note: This downgrades to Billing Library v6.2.1, which may lack some features available in v8.

The cleanest solution is to upgrade your project:

npx expo install expo@^53
npx expo install --fix
npx expo prebuild --clean

Expo SDK 53+ uses React Native 0.79+ with native Kotlin 2.x support, eliminating the compatibility issue entirely.

Troubleshooting​

If you encounter issues during installation:

  1. Clear node_modules and reinstall:

    rm -rf node_modules
    npm install

  2. For iOS, clean and rebuild pods:

    cd ios
    rm -rf Pods Podfile.lock
    pod install

    For Expo projects, use prebuild instead:

    npx expo prebuild --clean

  3. For React Native, reset Metro cache:

 npx react-native start --reset-cache

For more help, check our Troubleshooting Guide or open an issue on GitHub.