How can I handle split-screen mode on Android?

[mileskrell]

When running an app on Android in the Expo client app, if I put the app into split-screen mode, it restarts.

How can I keep this from happening?

[cruzach]

Hey @mileskrell - is this on all Android devices? Does the behavior still happen on simulators?

[mileskrell]

@cruzach - I'm totally new to both React Native and Expo, and since opening this issue I've realized that a lack of good support for Android's configuration changes is just an issue with React Native more generally - it's not specific to Expo. So this probably wasn't the right place for me to open this issue.

But yes, I'm seeing this behavior on Appetize previews at https://snack.expo.io, as well as at least one other emulator (Pixel 2, API 27) and one physical device (Moto G6, API 26).

[christianjuth]

@cruzach I am seeing the same issue. I thought it might only be in the Expo client app, so I tried installing a standalone apk build on an emulator. App restarts as soon as you put it in split-screen. All previous state is lost.

Notes:

• Pixel 2 Emulator running android Q
• Testing on MacOS Mojave
• My app is using Expo SDK 34
• App was built on Expo server using expo build:android and installed using adb install
• I have not tried installing my Expo app through the Play Store. I will try this soon, but I'm guessing it won't make a difference.
• I have not had a chance to test this using a physical device

[cruzach]

@christianjuth have you tried a bare RN app? as Miles pointed out, this may not be an issue specific to Expo

[cruzach]

The answer to handling this situation properly is provided here. To make those changes to AndroidManifest.xml, you'll ned to use the bare workflow, since you don't have access to that level of customization in the managed workflow