Fix QuickBlox RN SDK Play Store Upload Errors

by Alex Johnson 46 views

Hello fellow developers! If you’re working with the QuickBlox React Native SDK and trying to get your Android app onto the Google Play Store, you might have run into a rather frustrating roadblock. We’ve recently encountered an issue where the Play Console is blocking our app submissions. The reason? Native libraries bundled with the SDK, or its dependencies, aren't playing nicely with the new 16 KB memory page size requirement. This is a mandatory rule for Android 15 and is enforced by the latest Play Store policies. It’s a critical blocker that prevents us from publishing updates to our production apps, and we know many of you might be facing the same challenge.

The Dreaded Play Console Error: What's Happening?

The Play Store is quite specific about the native libraries your app includes. When it encounters libraries that don't adhere to the 16 KB page size standard, it flags them as incompatible. This means your submission gets rejected before it even gets a chance to be reviewed. In our case, the error message pointed to a list of libraries that sound like a mouthful but are essentially the building blocks of many modern React Native apps:

  • base/lib/arm64-v8a/libc++_shared.so
  • base/lib/arm64-v8a/libfbjni.so
  • base/lib/arm64-v8a/libhermes.so
  • base/lib/arm64-v8a/libhermestooling.so
  • base/lib/arm64-v8a/libimagepipeline.so
  • base/lib/arm64-v8a/libjsi.so
  • base/lib/arm64-v8a/libnative-filters.so
  • base/lib/arm64-v8a/libnative-imagetranscoder.so
  • base/lib/arm64-v8a/libreactnative.so
  • base/lib/arm64-v8a/libreactnativemmkv.so
  • base/lib/arm64-v8a/libreanimated.so
  • base/lib/arm64-v8a/librnscreens.so
  • base/lib/arm64-v8a/libworklets.so

And these aren't just for arm64-v8a; the x86_64 variants are also affected. The core of the problem seems to be that these libraries are compiled using an outdated Android NDK (Native Development Kit) configuration. This older configuration simply doesn't account for or support the new 16 KB page size requirement that Google is now mandating for a smoother and more efficient Android experience.

Our Troubleshooting Odyssey: What We've Tried

When you hit a wall like this, the first instinct is to try updating everything, right? We did just that. We attempted to update React Native to its latest version, but that quickly hit a snag. The QuickBlox React Native SDK has specific version constraints, and updating React Native meant breaking compatibility with QuickBlox, which wasn't an option for us. So, that path was a dead end.

Next, we tried updating some of the individual problematic dependencies mentioned in the error log, like MMKV, Reanimated, and Hermes. Again, we ran into version conflicts. The versions of these libraries that do support the 16 KB page size weren't compatible with the version of the QuickBlox SDK we were using. It's like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole – it just doesn't work.

We even tried rebuilding the entire app using the latest available Android NDK. Our hope was that a fresh build with the newest tools would somehow resolve the incompatibility. Unfortunately, this also didn't solve the underlying issue. The fundamental problem remained: the core native libraries that the QuickBlox RN SDK relies on were still the culprits, compiled with that older NDK configuration. It seems the issue isn't with our app's build process, but with the libraries provided by the SDK itself.

The Uphill Battle: Impact on Production Releases

The impact of this issue cannot be overstated. For any app that integrates the QuickBlox React Native SDK, this effectively blocks Play Store submissions. This means we are completely unable to publish any new updates or even initial releases to the Android market. In the fast-paced world of app development, being unable to release updates is a critical problem. It halts progress, prevents bug fixes from reaching users, and stops the deployment of new features. For businesses relying on their app's presence on the Play Store, this is a showstopper.

Our Plea to QuickBlox: What's Next?

This brings us to our main request, and likely yours too. We need a clear path forward. Our primary question for the QuickBlox team is: Is an update to the QuickBlox React Native SDK planned that includes these native libraries rebuilt to support the 16 KB page size?

If an update is indeed in the pipeline, we desperately need an estimated time of arrival (ETA). Knowing when a fix might be available helps us plan our release cycles and manage expectations.

However, if a full SDK update isn't on the immediate horizon, we'd be incredibly grateful for any guidance. Could you provide temporary workarounds or suggestions on how we might mitigate this issue? Perhaps there's a specific configuration, a way to selectively exclude or replace certain problematic libraries, or a beta version we can test? Any advice would be invaluable.

We understand that software development is complex, and keeping up with platform changes like this is challenging. However, for us and likely many other developers relying on your SDK for essential communication features, this is a critical blocker for production releases. We're hoping for a swift resolution or at least a clear roadmap.

Your Environment Details

To help QuickBlox and the community diagnose this further, please provide the following details when discussing this issue:

  • QuickBlox React Native SDK version: (your version)
  • React Native version: (your version)
  • Android NDK version: (your version)
  • Build type: Release (AAB)
  • Platform: Android

We're all in this together, and sharing information is key to finding a solution. Let's hope for a quick update from the QuickBlox team!

For more insights into Android development best practices and Play Store requirements, you can always refer to the official documentation: