Expo Share Intent 🚀

!npm
!License
!Downloads
!GitHub stars

Allow sharing URL, text, images, videos and files to your iOS and Android app, using a simple high-performance native module for Expo (React Native).

> The aim of this project is to have identical behavior between iOS and Android, and so to implement a single logic in the main application. In this way, when sharing data, the user is directly redirected to the main application, which will be responsible to manage the external data.

| iOS | Android |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| !Simulator Screen Recording - iPhone 15 Pro - 2024-12-11 at 09 09 40 | !Simulator Android - expo share intent |

Versioning

Ensure you use versions that work together

| Expo | Supported expo-share-intent version |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------- |
| SDK 54 | 5.0+ |
| SDK 53 | 4.0+ |

📋 Legacy versions

| Expo | Supported expo-share-intent version |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------- |
| SDK 52 | 3.0+ |
| SDK 51 | 2.0+ |
| SDK 50 | 1.0+ |
| SDK 49 | 0.2+ |

> iOS privacy manifest is available since v1.4.1

Table of Contents

- Usage
- Configure Content Types
- Share Intent content
- Expo Router
- React Navigation
- iOS Custom View
- Troubleshooting / FAQ
- Support

Installation

Install npm package

``bash
yarn add expo-share-intent


or


npm install expo-share-intent
`

Requirement: patch-package

For the moment this package need a post-install script

- copy the xcode patch in you patches project directory (like example)
- add post-install script to package.json

`json
"scripts": {
...
"postinstall": "patch-package"
},
`

- add patch-package for auto patching

`bash
yarn add patch-package
`

> More info in #13 and FAQ

Requirement: expo-linking

Since Expo52, you also need to install expo-linking in your app :

`
expo install expo-linking
`

Into your app.json:

- add expo plugin

`json
"plugins": [
"expo-share-intent"
],
`

> by default only text and url sharing is activated

- configure a custom URL scheme

`json
"scheme": "my-app"
`

> More info here : Linking to your app

Run your app in dev-client

`
expo prebuild --no-install --clean
expo run:ios
expo run:android
`

> We cannot use expo go with this package, more info here

Usage

#### Use the hook in your App

Make sure to use the hook in your main App.tsx component before any other Provider :

`ts
import { useShareIntent } from "expo-share-intent";

const { hasShareIntent, shareIntent, resetShareIntent, error } =
useShareIntent();
`

See App.tsx for more details

#### Use the Provider in your App

When dealing with multiple screens and providers your may use ShareIntentProvider and it's specific hook useShareIntentContext. Must be in your top component (App.tsx) before any other Provider :

`tsx
import { ShareIntentProvider, useShareIntentContext } from "expo-share-intent";


const Home = () => {
const { hasShareIntent, shareIntent, resetShareIntent, error } = useShareIntentContext();
return ...
}

export default const App = () => {
return (





)
}

`

#### Share intent content

`ts
const { shareIntent } = useShareIntent();
`

| attribute | description | example |
| ------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| shareIntent.text | raw text from text/weburl (ios) and text/\* (android) | "some text", "http://example.com", "Hey, Click on my link : http://example.com/nickname" |
| shareIntent.webUrl | link extracted from raw text | null, "http://example.com", "http://example.com/nickname" |
| shareIntent.files | image / movies / audio / files with name, path, mimetype, size (in octets) and image/video dimensions (width/height/duration) | [{ path: "file:///local/path/filename", mimeType: "image/jpeg", fileName: "originalFilename.jpg", size: 2567402, width: 800, height: 600 }, { path: "file:///local/path/filename", mimeType: "video/mp4", fileName: "originalFilename.mp4", size: 2567402, width: 800, height: 600, duration: 20000 }] |
| shareIntent.meta | meta object which contains extra information about the share intent | { title: "My cool blog article", "og:image": "https://.../image.png" } |
| shareIntent.meta.title | optional title property sent by other app (available on Android and when NSExtensionActivationSupportsWebPageWithMaxCount is enabled on iOS) | My cool blog article |
| shareIntent.meta.xxx | list all webpage metadata available in meta tags (iOS only, available with NSExtensionActivationSupportsWebPageWithMaxCount) | |

#### Customize Content Types in app.json

Simply choose content types you need :

`json
"plugins": [
[
"expo-share-intent",
{
"iosActivationRules": {
"NSExtensionActivationSupportsWebURLWithMaxCount": 1,
"NSExtensionActivationSupportsWebPageWithMaxCount": 1,
"NSExtensionActivationSupportsImageWithMaxCount": 1,
"NSExtensionActivationSupportsMovieWithMaxCount": 1,
},
"androidIntentFilters": ["text/", "image/"]
}
],
],
`

| Option | Values |
| ----------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| iosActivationRules | Allow text sharing with "NSExtensionActivationSupportsText": true
Url sharing with "NSExtensionActivationSupportsWebURLWithMaxCount": 1 and "NSExtensionActivationSupportsWebPageWithMaxCount": 1
Images sharing with "NSExtensionActivationSupportsImageWithMaxCount": 1
Videos sharing with "NSExtensionActivationSupportsMovieWithMaxCount": 1
Files and audio sharing with "NSExtensionActivationSupportsFileWithMaxCount": 1
_default value_: { "NSExtensionActivationSupportsWebURLWithMaxCount": 1, "NSExtensionActivationSupportsWebPageWithMaxCount": 1 }"
_More info in apple developper doc here_
you can also provide a custom query (ex: "iosActivationRules": "SUBQUERY (...)") |
| iosShareExtensionName | override CFBundleDisplayName the extension info.plist, also used as extension name for xcode target (ex: ExpoShareIntent Example Extension, folder: ExpoShareIntentExampleExtension) |
| iosAppGroupIdentifier | custom application group identifier for com.apple.security.application-groups (ex: group.custom.exposhareintent.example) cf #94 |
| androidIntentFilters | one file sharing array of MIME types :"text/" / "image/" / "video/" / "/"
_default value_: ["text/"] (text and url) |
| androidMultiIntentFilters | multiple files sharing array of MIME types : "image/" / "video/" / "audio// "/*"
_default value_: [] |
| androidMainActivityAttributes | _default value_: { "android:launchMode": "singleTask" } |
| preprocessorInjectJS | Add javascript to webpage preprocessor before the share extension is called (cf Accessing a Webpage).
Example: preprocessorInjectJS: "metas['og\\:image'] = metas['og\\:image'] || document.querySelector('img#seo-image')?.getAttribute('src')" |
| disableAndroid | Disable the android share intent. Useful if you want to use a custom implementation. _default value_: false |
| disableIOS | Disable the ios share extension. Useful if you want to use a custom implementation (ex: iOS Custom View). _default value_: false |

$3

With expo-router you need to handle loading elements on Layout. It's the only way to call the native module using deeplink url.

An example is available with Expo Router v3 in example/expo-router

$3

If you want to handle share intent with React Navigation v6, you must use the ShareIntentProvider and add a custom mapping function in your linking configuration.

Take a look at the example in example/react-navigation.

Troubleshooting - FAQ

$3

When building on EAS you should only have one extension target (during credentials setting process).

To avoid expo auto configuration to add an experimental "appExtensions" to app.json you must manually configure your eas build (projectId in app.json and a eas.json file).

More details in #1

$3

`bash
$ yarn prebuild
⠧ Running prebuild[expo-share-intent] add ios share extension (scheme:exposhareintentexample appIdentifier:expo.modules.exposhareintent.example)
⠇ Running prebuild[expo-share-intent] add android filters text/ image/
✖ Config sync failed
TypeError: [ios.xcodeproj]: withIosXcodeprojBaseMod: Cannot read properties of null (reading 'path')
`

This package need a post-install script, see xcode+3.0.1.patch file in example/patches (more info #31 and #13)

$3

We are using native code to make share intent works, so we can't use Expo Go and have to use a custom dev client, that's why the demo use expo prebuild --no-install command and then expo run:ios, instead of a simple expo start --ios
-> More information here

That way you can test your share intent into simulator, but that does not exempt you to test a complete build on device at the end of your development process to make sure all works as excepted.

NB: don't commit your ios/ and android/ folder, rebuild it before EAS build.

> If you want to open your application in expo go with this package your can disable the native module call with useShareIntent({ disabled: true }). Allowing to speed test other features on your app without share intent.

$3

When using @react-native-google-signin/google-signin you need to configure a custom scheme in your app.json to handle google signin fallback. By doing this, the original app scheme is deleted and must be manually reassigned :

`json
"scheme": "exposhareintentexample",
"ios": {
"supportsTablet": true,
"bundleIdentifier": "expo.modules.exposhareintent.example",
"infoPlist": {
"CFBundleURLTypes": [
{
"CFBundleURLSchemes": [
"com.googleusercontent.apps.xxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxx",
"exposhareintentexample"
]
}
]
}
},
`

$3

This project does not and will not support the iOS custom view (native view in the context of sharing intent). Everything must be managed in the main application!

> Managing a custom view requires to package a complete application (seperate react-native bundle), which comes with its own set of constraints (loading time, compatibility with third-party libraries, specific mainEntry, etc.). However expo-share-intent aims to remain small and powerful, with easy version upgrades.

If iOS Custom view is a must have feature for you, simply disable iOS configuration of this plugin in your app.json (disableIOS: true) and configure the expo-share-extension` package.

> for archive a POC was made on this PR

$3

This project does not and will not support the iOS Context Menu!

> Even if it sounds interesting, the implementation is too specific for each use case and would require a separate project.

Support

Enjoying this project? Wanna show some love? Drop a star and consider buying me a coffee to keep me fueled and motivated for the next releases

Are you using expo-share-intent at work? Please consider sponsoring me!

Thanks

Special thanks to expo-config-plugin-ios-share-extension and react-native-receive-sharing-intent, on which this one is very inspired.