Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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If you want to build a smooth image list in React Native that feels just like Apple or Google Photos, we’ve got some tips & techniques to help you out.

Enjoy episode #1 of our series, in which we’ll be building a sleek, native-style gallery clone using React Native.

0:00 - Intro
0:28 - Benchmark Google Photos & Apple Photos
1:26 - Loading images from device (batching)
1:43 - From Image to expo-image
2:40 - Optimizing with Mipmaps
3:17 - Choosing the Right List: FlatList vs FlashList vs LegendList
4:37 - Code once, run everywhere
4:55 - Code once, run everywhere

Learn more:
📰 Read the article: blog.swmansion.com/react-native-image-list-recreating-apple-google-photos-in-react-native-part-1-7f73fb74fc63
📦 Check our GitHub: github.com/software-mansion-labs/swm-react-native-labs-swm-photos
🐦 Follow us on X: https://x.com/swmansion