rn-group-preferences

React Native TurboModule for accessing Shared Preferences (Android) and App Groups (iOS). Fully compatible with the New Architecture.

Features

• New Architecture Support: Full TurboModule implementation.
• Shared Data: Share data between your app and extensions (iOS App Groups) or other apps (Android ContentProvider/Shared Storage).
• Simple API: Promise-based API for easy async/await usage.

Installation

yarn add rn-group-preferences
# or
npm install rn-group-preferences

iOS Setup

1. Enable App Groups in your Xcode project capabilities.
2. Run standard pod install:

cd ios && pod install

Android Setup

No manual linking required.

Expo Setup

This package includes a Config Plugin to automate the iOS App Group entitlement setup.

Ad to your app.json or app.config.js:

{
  "expo": {
    "plugins": [
      [
        "rn-group-preferences",
        {
          "appGroup": "group.com.your.app.group"
        }
      ]
    ]
  }
}

Note on AGP 8: This library is compatible with Android Gradle Plugin 8+. Note on New Architecture: This library is designed for the New Architecture (TurboModules) and requires it to be enabled in your app.

Credits

This package is a modernized fork of react-native-shared-group-preferences by Kjell Connelly.

API

set/get basic key/value pairs

• SharedGroupPreferences.setItem(string:key, any:value, string:appGroupIdentifier, (optional)object:options)
• SharedGroupPreferences.getItem(string:key, string:appGroupIdentifier, (optional)object:options)

Usage

import SharedGroupPreferences from "rn-group-preferences";

const appGroupIdentifier = "group.com.mytest";
const userData = {
  name: "Vin Diesel",
  age: 34,
  friends: ["Lara Croft", "Mike Meyers"],
};

export default class app extends React.Component {
  constructor(props) {
    super(props);
    this.state = {
      username: undefined,
    };

    // Not the most professional way to ask for permissions: Just ask when the app loads.
    // But for brevity, we do this here.
    if (Platform.OS == "android") {
      this.dealWithPermissions();
    } else {
      this.saveUserDataToSharedStorage(userData);
    }
  }

  async dealWithPermissions() {
    try {
      const grantedStatus = await PermissionsAndroid.requestMultiple([
        PermissionsAndroid.PERMISSIONS.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE,
        PermissionsAndroid.PERMISSIONS.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE,
      ]);
      const writeGranted =
        grantedStatus["android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"] ===
        PermissionsAndroid.RESULTS.GRANTED;
      const readGranted =
        grantedStatus["android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"] ===
        PermissionsAndroid.RESULTS.GRANTED;
      if (writeGranted && readGranted) {
        this.saveUserDataToSharedStorage(userData);
      } else {
        // You can either limit the user in access to the app's content,
        // or do a workaround where the user's data is saved using only
        // within the user's local app storage using something like AsyncStorage
        // instead. This is only an android issue since it uses read/write external storage.
      }
    } catch (err) {
      console.warn(err);
    }
  }

  async saveUserDataToSharedStorage(data) {
    try {
      await SharedGroupPreferences.setItem(
        "savedData",
        data,
        appGroupIdentifier
      );
      this.loadUsernameFromSharedStorage();
    } catch (errorCode) {
      // errorCode 0 = There is no suite with that name
      console.log(errorCode);
    }
  }

  async loadUsernameFromSharedStorage() {
    try {
      const loadedData = await SharedGroupPreferences.getItem(
        "savedData",
        appGroupIdentifier
      );
      this.setState({ username: loadedData.name });
    } catch (errorCode) {
      // errorCode 0 = no group name exists. You probably need to setup your Xcode Project properly.
      // errorCode 1 = there is no value for that key
      console.log(errorCode);
    }
  }

  render() {
    return (
      <View>
        <Text>
          {this.state.username
            ? "Loading..."
            : "Welcome back " + this.state.username}
        </Text>
      </View>
    );
  }
}

iOS Xcode Prep Work

In Xcode, open your Target and click the Capabilities tab. Go down to App Groups. Add a preexisting identifier or create a new one. Do the same for all the apps that you plan to have a shared container for. Use this identifier for appGroupIdentifier when you call the javascript functions.

Android Configuration

External Storage Permissions

To share data between different applications on Android, this library uses External Storage. You must request proper permissions:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />

For Android 11+ (SDK 30+), Scoped Storage rules apply. If you are targeting SDK 30+, consider using SharedPreferences option if data sharing between distinct apps is not required, or ensure your app has the necessary entitlements for broader storage access if needed.

Note: For legacy compatibility (SDK 29), you might need android:requestLegacyExternalStorage="true" in your AndroidManifest.xml.

Android Storage Options

Shared Preferences (Internal)

By default, this library uses External Storage to share data between apps (mimicking iOS App Groups). If you prefer to use standard Android SharedPreferences (e.g., for internal app use or extensions), you can pass an option:

await SharedGroupPreferences.setItem("key", "value", appGroup, {
  useAndroidSharedPreferences: true,
});

Utilities

Check if App is Installed (Android)

Check if an application is installed on the device by its package name.

const facebookPackageName = "com.facebook.android";
try {
  const installed = await SharedGroupPreferences.isAppInstalledAndroid(
    facebookPackageName
  );
  console.log("Facebook is installed");
} catch (err) {
  console.log("Facebook is not installed");
}