0Pricing
React Native Academy · Lesson

Modifying AndroidManifest and Info.plist

Use withAndroidManifest to add permissions and meta-data elements, and withInfoPlist to add keys like NSCameraUsageDescription, then test on both platforms.

Modifying AndroidManifest and Info.plist is a free React Native Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 3 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the React Native Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.

Why These Files Matter

AndroidManifest.xml and Info.plist are the central configuration files for Android and iOS apps respectively. They declare permissions, features, app components, URL schemes, capabilities, and usage descriptions. Third-party native libraries almost always require additions to these files. Without the correct entries, features crash, permissions are denied, and App Store submission fails review.

Anatomy of AndroidManifest.xml

The AndroidManifest.xml has three main sections: uses-permission elements at the top level (declare what the app needs), the application element (app-wide settings like icon, theme, backup), and inside it, activity, service, receiver, and provider elements. Config plugins typically add permissions and meta-data elements to the application or activity.

<!-- Typical AndroidManifest.xml structure -->
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">

  <!-- Permissions at top level -->
  <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
  <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />

  <application
    android:name=".MainApplication"
    android:label="@string/app_name">

    <!-- meta-data items here -->
    <meta-data android:name="com.google.android.geo.API_KEY"
      android:value="YOUR_KEY" />

    <activity android:name=".MainActivity">
      <!-- intent filters here -->
    </activity>

  </application>
</manifest>

Adding Permissions to AndroidManifest

Use AndroidConfig.Permissions.addUsesPermission to safely add a permission without duplicating it. This helper checks whether the permission already exists before inserting, so running prebuild multiple times is safe. Always add both dangerous runtime permissions (like CAMERA) and the uses-feature declaration when requiring specific hardware to prevent your app from appearing in the Play Store on incompatible devices.

const { withAndroidManifest, AndroidConfig } = require('@expo/config-plugins');

module.exports = function withCameraAndroid(config) {
  return withAndroidManifest(config, (androidConfig) => {
    const manifest = androidConfig.modResults;

    AndroidConfig.Permissions.addUsesPermission(
      manifest, 'android.permission.CAMERA'
    );
    AndroidConfig.Permissions.addUsesPermission(
      manifest, 'android.permission.READ_MEDIA_IMAGES'
    );

    // Declare hardware requirement
    if (!manifest['uses-feature']) manifest['uses-feature'] = [];
    manifest['uses-feature'].push({
      '$': { 'android:name': 'android.hardware.camera', 'android:required': 'false' }
    });

    return androidConfig;
  });
};

Adding meta-data to the Application Element

Many SDKs (Google Maps, Firebase, Facebook) require a meta-data element inside the application tag with an API key or app ID. Use AndroidConfig.Manifest.getMainApplication to safely locate the application element, then push a new meta-data object into its 'meta-data' array. Always check the array exists before pushing to avoid a null reference error.

const { withAndroidManifest, AndroidConfig } = require('@expo/config-plugins');

module.exports = function withGoogleMapsAndroid(config, { apiKey }) {
  return withAndroidManifest(config, (androidConfig) => {
    const manifest = androidConfig.modResults;
    const mainApp = AndroidConfig.Manifest.getMainApplication(manifest);

    if (!mainApp['meta-data']) mainApp['meta-data'] = [];

    // Remove existing key to avoid duplicates
    mainApp['meta-data'] = mainApp['meta-data'].filter(
      (item) => item.$['android:name'] !== 'com.google.android.geo.API_KEY'
    );

    mainApp['meta-data'].push({
      '$': {
        'android:name': 'com.google.android.geo.API_KEY',
        'android:value': apiKey,
      }
    });

    return androidConfig;
  });
};

Intent Filters for Deep Links

To register a custom URL scheme or Android App Link on Android, you add an intent filter to the main activity. The intent filter declares what URL patterns your app handles. Config plugins can add these programmatically by finding the MainActivity element and appending to its intent-filter array.

const { withAndroidManifest, AndroidConfig } = require('@expo/config-plugins');

module.exports = function withDeepLinks(config, { scheme }) {
  return withAndroidManifest(config, (androidConfig) => {
    const manifest = androidConfig.modResults;
    const mainActivity = AndroidConfig.Manifest.getMainActivity(manifest);

    if (!mainActivity['intent-filter']) mainActivity['intent-filter'] = [];

    mainActivity['intent-filter'].push({
      action: [{ '$': { 'android:name': 'android.intent.action.VIEW' } }],
      category: [
        { '$': { 'android:name': 'android.intent.category.DEFAULT' } },
        { '$': { 'android:name': 'android.intent.category.BROWSABLE' } },
      ],
      data: [{ '$': { 'android:scheme': scheme } }],
    });

    return androidConfig;
  });
};

Info.plist Usage Description Keys

iOS requires a usage description string in Info.plist for every sensitive permission your app requests. If the string is missing, the app crashes when it calls requestPermission. Common keys include NSCameraUsageDescription, NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription, NSMicrophoneUsageDescription, NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription, and NSContactsUsageDescription. The string appears in the system permission dialog shown to the user.

const { withInfoPlist } = require('@expo/config-plugins');

module.exports = function withAllPermissions(config, opts = {}) {
  return withInfoPlist(config, (iosConfig) => {
    const plist = iosConfig.modResults;

    plist['NSCameraUsageDescription'] =
      opts.camera || 'Scan QR codes and take profile photos.';
    plist['NSMicrophoneUsageDescription'] =
      opts.microphone || 'Record voice messages.';
    plist['NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription'] =
      opts.location || 'Show nearby restaurants.';
    plist['NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription'] =
      opts.photoLibrary || 'Upload photos from your library.';

    return iosConfig;
  });
};

URL Types for Custom Schemes on iOS

To handle custom URL schemes on iOS (e.g., myapp://), add a CFBundleURLTypes entry to Info.plist. Each entry has a role and an array of scheme strings. Expo sets this automatically for the app's own scheme, but if you need an additional scheme (e.g., for OAuth redirect), you must add it via a config plugin.

const { withInfoPlist } = require('@expo/config-plugins');

module.exports = function withOAuthScheme(config, { scheme }) {
  return withInfoPlist(config, (iosConfig) => {
    const plist = iosConfig.modResults;

    if (!plist['CFBundleURLTypes']) plist['CFBundleURLTypes'] = [];

    // Avoid duplicate
    const existing = plist['CFBundleURLTypes'].find(
      (t) => t.CFBundleURLName === scheme
    );
    if (!existing) {
      plist['CFBundleURLTypes'].push({
        CFBundleURLName: scheme,
        CFBundleURLSchemes: [scheme],
      });
    }

    return iosConfig;
  });
};

Info.plist Boolean and Number Values

Info.plist supports several value types beyond strings: booleans, numbers, arrays, and dictionaries. In the JavaScript modResults object, use plain JS booleans and numbers — Expo handles the correct plist XML encoding. Setting ITSAppUsesNonExemptEncryption to false (a boolean) avoids App Store export compliance questions for most apps.

const { withInfoPlist } = require('@expo/config-plugins');

module.exports = function withExportCompliance(config) {
  return withInfoPlist(config, (iosConfig) => {
    const plist = iosConfig.modResults;

    // Boolean value
    plist['ITSAppUsesNonExemptEncryption'] = false;

    // Number value
    plist['UIRequiresFullScreen'] = false;

    // Nested dictionary
    plist['NSAppTransportSecurity'] = {
      NSAllowsArbitraryLoads: false,
      NSExceptionDomains: {
        'localhost': { NSExceptionAllowsInsecureHTTPLoads: true }
      }
    };

    return iosConfig;
  });
};

Background Modes on iOS

iOS apps that need to run code while backgrounded must declare UIBackgroundModes in Info.plist. Supported modes include audio, location, fetch, remote-notification, processing, and voip. Without the correct background mode declared, iOS suspends the app when it leaves the foreground and your background task is silently killed.

const { withInfoPlist } = require('@expo/config-plugins');

module.exports = function withBackgroundModes(config, { modes }) {
  return withInfoPlist(config, (iosConfig) => {
    const plist = iosConfig.modResults;

    if (!plist['UIBackgroundModes']) plist['UIBackgroundModes'] = [];

    for (const mode of modes) {
      if (!plist['UIBackgroundModes'].includes(mode)) {
        plist['UIBackgroundModes'].push(mode);
      }
    }

    return iosConfig;
  });
};

// app.json usage
// ["./plugins/withBackgroundModes", { "modes": ["audio", "fetch"] }]

Verifying Plugin Changes with plutil and grep

After running expo prebuild, always verify your changes landed correctly before building. On macOS, use plutil -p ios/YourApp/Info.plist to pretty-print the plist. Use grep to search AndroidManifest for specific strings. Add this verification as part of your CI pipeline so a broken plugin is caught before wasted build minutes.

# Verify iOS Info.plist
npx expo prebuild --clean --platform ios
plutil -p ios/MyApp/Info.plist | grep NSCamera
# -> "NSCameraUsageDescription" => "Scan QR codes."

# Verify Android manifest permissions
grep 'CAMERA' android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
# -> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA"/>

# Verify meta-data
grep 'geo.API_KEY' android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml

Idempotency: Safe to Run Multiple Times

A well-written config plugin is idempotent — running it multiple times produces the same result as running it once. Guard every insertion with a check for existing values before adding them. Use filter to remove old values before inserting the new one (replace pattern) rather than blindly pushing, which would accumulate duplicates across repeated prebuild runs.

// Bad - adds duplicate permissions on every prebuild
manifest['uses-permission'].push({
  '$': { 'android:name': 'android.permission.CAMERA' }
});

// Good - idempotent check first
const hasCameraPermission = manifest['uses-permission']?.some(
  (p) => p.$['android:name'] === 'android.permission.CAMERA'
);
if (!hasCameraPermission) {
  AndroidConfig.Permissions.addUsesPermission(
    manifest, 'android.permission.CAMERA'
  );
}

Quick Check

Test your understanding of React Native Mobile Development concepts from this lesson.

Lesson Recap

In this lesson you learned: how AndroidManifest.xml and Info.plist control permissions, features, and OS integrations, how to use withAndroidManifest to add permissions and meta-data elements, and how to use withInfoPlist to set usage descriptions, URL types, and background modes. You also learned why idempotency matters for plugins that run on every prebuild. Next up we learn how to distribute config plugins as npm packages.

Frequently asked questions

Is the “Modifying AndroidManifest and Info.plist” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “Modifying AndroidManifest and Info.plist” is free to read here on the web, and the React Native Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the React Native Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.

What will I learn in “Modifying AndroidManifest and Info.plist”?

Use withAndroidManifest to add permissions and meta-data elements, and withInfoPlist to add keys like NSCameraUsageDescription, then test on both platforms. You practise React Native Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start React Native Academy?

No prior experience is required. React Native Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 3 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.

How long does the “Modifying AndroidManifest and Info.plist” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this React Native Academy lesson?

Yes. Every React Native Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

All lessons in this course

  1. What Are Config Plugins and When to Use Them
  2. Writing Your First Config Plugin
  3. Modifying AndroidManifest and Info.plist
  4. Distributing Config Plugins as npm Packages
← Back to React Native Academy