fix(ios): wire prebuilt React-Core and allow non-modular React imports for use_frameworks! (RN 0.84+)

[aravi365]

Description

React Native 0.83+ ships a prebuilt React-Core and enables it by default on 0.84+ (RCT_USE_PREBUILT_RNCORE=1). This breaks react-native-firebase iOS builds in two ways:

1. Header resolution — the legacy <React/...> imports in RNFB's Objective-C sources (RCTConvert.h, RCTBridgeModule.h, RCTEventEmitter.h, …) need the prebuilt React-Core wired via React Native's add_rncore_dependency helper.

2. Framework module validation — when a consumer builds with use_frameworks! (Expo's default, and required by the firebase-ios-sdk), each RNFB pod is compiled as a framework module. Clang then rejects the non-modular <React/...> includes with:

   error: 'React/RCTConvert.h' must be imported from module 'React' before it is required
   [-Werror,-Wnon-modular-include-in-framework-module]
   

Both are fixed here across all 16 package podspecs:

• Call add_rncore_dependency(s), guarded with if defined?(...) so older react-native versions are unaffected.
• Set CLANG_ALLOW_NON_MODULAR_INCLUDES_IN_FRAMEWORK_MODULES = YES, merged into any existing pod_target_xcconfig so per-package settings (e.g. generated TurboModule header search paths in analytics/auth/firestore/storage/etc.) are preserved rather than overwritten.

Related

• Closes the same class of issue as [🐛] compile errors with react-native CLI + pre-compiled iOS distribution default on RN 0.84 - workaround - disable pre-compiled react-native or use Podfile preinstall hook #8883.
• Alternative to fix(ios): wire add_rncore_dependency + allow non-modular includes for RN 0.84+ prebuilt RNCore (#8883) #9024, rebased on current main; uses a non-destructive .merge on pod_target_xcconfig to avoid clobbering the newer per-package HEADER_SEARCH_PATHS entries.

Effect for consumers

Removes the need for the common workarounds:

• ENV['RCT_USE_PREBUILT_RNCORE'] = '0' (forces React-Core to rebuild from source — slow clean builds)
• expo-build-properties forceStaticLinking listing every RNFB package

Test plan

• pod install with use_frameworks! :linkage => :static + $RNFirebaseAsStaticFramework = true on RN 0.84.x, default RCT_USE_PREBUILT_RNCORE (prebuilt), New Architecture.
• Clean iOS build of an app using @react-native-firebase/{app,analytics,crashlytics,messaging} — compiles without the RCT_USE_PREBUILT_RNCORE=0 workaround.
• Ruby syntax check on all podspecs (ruby -c) — passing.

[gemini-code-assist]

Caution

The consumer version of Gemini Code Assist on GitHub has been sunset. All code review activity has officially ceased.

[mikehardy]

Hey 👋 thanks for this -

Quick note to say before we look at this, it is going to have to wait for the SPM support to land (it's reviewed+approved and just needs merge):

• feat(ios): add SPM dependency resolution support alongside CocoaPods #8933

...which is itself waiting on v26 to launch (there will be a PR for some fixes there, it's about ready to go)

So, hopefully not long, and it's our next priority to fix after SPM lands but it will probably be a conflict bonanza once SPM does land

[aravi365]

Hey 👋 thanks for this -

Quick note to say before we look at this, it is going to have to wait for the SPM support to land (it's reviewed+approved and just needs merge):

• feat(ios): add SPM dependency resolution support alongside CocoaPods #8933

...which is itself waiting on v26 to launch (there will be a PR for some fixes there, it's about ready to go)

So, hopefully not long, and it's our next priority to fix after SPM lands but it will probably be a conflict bonanza once SPM does land

Thanks @mikehardy, makes sense to wait for SPM to land first. Happy to rebase and clean up the conflicts once it's in, just give me a shout.