For AI agents: the complete documentation index is available at /llms.txt, the full documentation bundle is available at /llms-full.txt, and this page is available as Markdown at /app-center-codepush-retirement.md.
Cresc

    App Center and CodePush are retired. What React Native teams should do now

    Visual Studio App Center was retired on March 31, 2025. CodePush went with it. Only App Center's Analytics and Diagnostics features continued past that date. If your React Native app still calls codePush.sync(), it is either talking to a service that no longer exists or to a server you now have to run yourself.

    There is a second, quieter deadline. React Native 0.82 runs only on the New Architecture: setting newArchEnabled to false no longer has any effect. The archived react-native-code-push README says it plainly: CodePush won't support the New Architecture. So even teams that self-host a CodePush server are stuck on React Native 0.81 or earlier until they replace the client SDK.

    What actually happened

    ItemStatus
    App Center (build, test, distribute, CodePush)Retired March 31, 2025
    App Center Analytics and DiagnosticsContinued past the retirement date
    microsoft/react-native-code-pushArchived, read-only. Last release on npm is 9.0.1
    microsoft/code-push-serverReleased under MIT so teams can self-host, then archived. No support, no issues or contributions accepted
    New Architecture support in react-native-code-pushNone. React Native 0.82+ cannot opt out of the New Architecture

    Your options

    1. Self-host the standalone code-push-server

    Microsoft open-sourced a standalone CodePush server that works with the existing client SDK. It keeps your current code, but you take on running the API, storage, CDN and database yourself. It is archived with no support. It also does nothing about the client SDK: you stay on the legacy architecture and therefore on React Native 0.81 or older.

    Fits: apps that are frozen on an old React Native version and only need emergency fixes.

    2. Move to a CodePush-compatible hosted service

    Some vendors run a server that speaks the CodePush protocol, so you only change the server URL. This is the fastest switch, but check whether the vendor ships its own client SDK with New Architecture support. If it still relies on the archived react-native-code-push module, you inherit the same React Native 0.82 dead end.

    3. Move to Expo EAS Update

    A strong choice if you are already on Expo and your monthly active users fit the plan. EAS Update is billed per updated MAU plus bandwidth overage, so cost grows with your user base. Bare React Native apps need the expo package and Expo's Metro config first, and EAS Update is New Architecture only from Expo SDK 55. See Expo pricing vs Cresc.

    4. Move to an OTA service with its own maintained SDK

    This is where Cresc fits. The react-native-update SDK is MIT-licensed and actively maintained, supports the New Architecture as well as the legacy one, and runs on iOS, Android and HarmonyOS. Updates ship as Hermes-bytecode-aware binary diffs against the bundle in every native package you bound (a one-line fix is a few KB, not the whole bundle), crashes after an update roll back automatically, and the hosted plans include CDN delivery with no bandwidth overage.

    A migration plan from CodePush to Cresc

    1. Inventory your CodePush usage. Search for codePush(, codePush.sync, checkForUpdate, notifyAppReady, InstallMode and your deployment keys. The API migration guide maps every one of them to its Cresc equivalent.
    2. Create apps in Cresc. One app per platform, the same way you had one CodePush app per platform. Your Staging and Production deployments map to Cresc versions bound to native packages, with gradual rollout.
    3. Swap the SDK. Remove react-native-code-push, then follow Installation & Config to add react-native-update and point iOS and Android at its bundle URL.
    4. Port the update UI. Replace codePush.sync() with the useUpdate hook, or keep a silent update strategy.
    5. Wire up CI. Replace appcenter codepush release-react with the Cresc CLI and an API key.
    6. Ship one native release with both safety nets. The first store build with Cresc is the baseline every later OTA patch is diffed against. Keep it small and well-tested.
    7. Upgrade React Native when you are ready. With CodePush gone from the dependency tree, nothing holds you below React Native 0.82 any more.

    The full step list, including Expo projects, is in the migration checklist.

    FAQ

    Does CodePush still work after App Center was retired?

    Not against App Center: the hosted service shut down on March 31, 2025. The client SDK only keeps working if you point it at a server you run yourself, such as Microsoft's archived standalone code-push-server.

    Does react-native-code-push support the New Architecture?

    No. Its archived README states that it won't support the New Architecture, and React Native 0.82 no longer lets apps opt out of it. Upgrading to 0.82 or later means replacing the CodePush client SDK.

    Can I keep using my existing CodePush releases after migrating?

    Your store build changes when you swap SDKs, so OTA history does not carry over. Your first native release with Cresc becomes the new baseline, and you publish patches on top of it from then on.

    How long does a migration to Cresc take?

    For most apps the code change is small: one dependency swap, the native bundle URL hook, and replacing codePush.sync(). The API migration guide shows before-and-after code for each call.