Why I Started Wrapping Everything in React Native?

Source: Dev.to

🚀 I’ve been working with React Native for about 4 years now, and one thing I’ve learned the hard way is this:

• Nothing stays permanent.
• Libraries get deprecated.
• Best practices change.
• Things that were “recommended” last year suddenly feel wrong today.

At some point I started asking myself:

Why am I fixing the same problem again and again, just because a library changed? 🤔

The Pattern I Kept Seeing

Let’s be honest — React Native apps don’t die quickly. They live for years.
During that time:

• FlatList starts struggling with performance.
• FlashList shows up and becomes the new standard.
• SafeAreaView from react-native is no longer enough.
• We move to react-native-safe-area-context.

Suddenly you’re touching dozens of files for what is essentially one decision change.

That’s when I realised — the mistake was never the library choice; it was how tightly my app depended on it.

The Simple Rule I Follow Now

• Never use core or third‑party components directly across the app.
• Wrap them once. Own them.

I started creating a top layer of base components.

Example 1: Lists (FlatList → FlashList)

What I stopped doing

Using FlatList directly everywhere:

import { FlatList } from 'react-native';

What I do instead: AppFlatList

// AppFlatList.tsx
import React from 'react';
import { FlatList, FlatListProps } from 'react-native';

export function AppFlatList(props: FlatListProps) {
  return (
    
  );
}

Usage stays simple:

 item.id}
/>

Now when performance becomes an issue (and it will), I don’t panic.

Later… switching to FlashList

// AppFlatList.tsx
import { FlashList, FlashListProps } from '@shopify/flash-list';

export function AppFlatList(props: FlashListProps) {
  return ;
}

That’s it. No screen changes, no refactor weekends, no stress.

Example 2: Base Component Deprecation (SafeAreaView)

Earlier we all used:

import { SafeAreaView } from 'react-native';

Later we were told: “Use react-native-safe-area-context instead.”

Now imagine SafeAreaView used everywhere—painful, right?

// AppSafeAreaView.tsx
import React from 'react';
import { SafeAreaView } from 'react-native-safe-area-context';

export function AppSafeAreaView({ children, style }) {
  return (
    
      {children}
    
  );
}

Usage:

Now I don’t care if the API changes, if padding logic changes, or if Android/iOS behavior differs later—I’ve isolated it.

This Slowly Became My Default Style

I now do this for almost everything:

• AppText → font scaling, typography updates
• AppButton → design system changes
• AppInput → validation, focus handling
• AppImage → caching, placeholders
• AppPressable → analytics hooks later

Every time I hesitate and think “Should I just use this directly?” I remember how many times I’ve regretted that decision.

Why This Matters (Real Talk)

React Native evolves fast. Your app doesn’t. So either:

• You chase changes every year, or
• You design your app to absorb them calmly.

Wrapping components doesn’t slow you down. Refactoring later does.

Final Thought

This isn’t about over‑engineering. It’s about respecting the fact that change is guaranteed.

I don’t wrap components because I expect problems today. I wrap them because I know future‑me will be tired.

And honestly? Future‑me deserves better.