feat(mobile): turn on the React Native New Architecture

[dylanjeffers]

Summary

Turns on React Native's New Architecture (Fabric + bridgeless) for native release 1.5.189, with nothing else changing. It's based on #14656 (the version bump). Everything the flip needs shipped on the old architecture in 1.5.188: RN 0.81.6, the RNTP bridgeless patch (#14647), native-driver progress (#14651), react-native-svg 15.15.1 + Lottie shouldBeRecycled NO (#14652), the SwiftAudioEx Podfile patch (#14650), notifee (#14640) and UIScene (#14626). This supersedes the spike (#14648), whose findings matrix still applies.

Requires #14658 first. On new arch, about half of iOS cold launches stayed on the splash screen. This is a JS race in App.tsx's preload gate, and it isn't new-arch code. Details are below and in #14658.

What changed

• Android packages/mobile/android/gradle.properties: newArchEnabled=true
• iOS RCTNewArchEnabled true in every Info.plist that has the key: AudiusReactNative/Info.plist and RichPushExtension/Info.plist
• RCT_NEW_ARCH_ENABLED=0 → 1 in every place git grep finds it: both pod install steps in .github/workflows/mobile.yml and scripts/postinstall.sh. Set to 1, not removed. RN 0.81's CocoaPods default is already new arch when the variable is unset (ENV["RCT_NEW_ARCH_ENABLED"] == '0' ? false : true), but with an explicit 1, a stale RCT_NEW_ARCH_ENABLED=0 exported in someone's shell or a CI env can't silently build an old-arch binary. It also matches the explicit Info.plist keys.
• Podfile.lock regenerated with RCT_NEW_ARCH_ENABLED=1 bundle exec pod install: Fabric/codegen subspecs and checksums. The Podfile checksum is unchanged.
• MainApplication.kt: reactHost is now by lazy { getDefaultReactHost(applicationContext, reactNativeHost) }. It was a getter, and the ReactNativeHost overload of getDefaultReactHost evaluates reactNativeHost.jsBundleFile (so CodePush.getJSBundleFile()) on every access, even though the host itself is cached. With the lazy property, logcat shows one [CodePush] Loading JS bundle line per session. The spike saw 33.
• Not changed: android:enableOnBackInvokedCallback="false" stays in AndroidManifest.xml. Predictive back is a separate change.
• Also not changed: android/build.gradle's dr.pogodin_react-native-fs block. It only applies when newArchEnabled != 'true', so it goes inert.

Checks

Check	Result
npx tsc --noEmit -p packages/mobile	pass
eslint on touched files	no JS/TS touched. plutil -lint on both plists, bash -n scripts/postinstall.sh and a YAML parse of mobile.yml pass. #14658's App.tsx passes eslint
cd packages/mobile && npm test	9 suites, 34 tests pass
iOS Release, RCT_NEW_ARCH_ENABLED=1 bundle exec pod install, ENVFILE=.env.prod, generic/platform=iOS Simulator, ARCHS=arm64, worktree-local DerivedData	builds. Info.plist 1.1.202, RCTNewArchEnabled=true, bundle carries 1.5.189
Android assembleProdRelease -PreactNativeArchitectures=arm64-v8a, debug keystore	builds. versionName 1.1.538, libappmodules.so present, signed CN=Android Debug

iOS smoke test (RN081 iOS 26.5 simulator, signed in, Release)

Installed over the signed-in 1.5.188 app. The CodePush folder was moved aside before every launch. Old-arch numbers are the 1.5.188 Release build on the same simulator and account, measured just before.

Item	Result
Runtime is new arch	✅ sample shows the com.facebook.react.runtime.JavaScript thread (old arch: com.facebook.react.JavaScript)
Cold launch, as built	❌ 5 of 6 launches stuck on the splash. JS was idle, and RCTRootComponentView had no children (lldb recursiveDescription). Instrumented runs logged App render preloaded=false → preload resolved → no re-render. Fixed by #14658
Cold launch with #14658's JS	✅ 8 of 8 reach the feed
Feed: render, scroll, pull	✅
First play after a cold launch (Lottie)	✅ still playing at 1 s, 5 s and 10 s. The track-page button and play bar both show pause, and the drawer clock advanced 0:22 → 0:27 (one try)
Auto-advance	✅ from the feed: track 1 seeked to the end → track 2 "The Cat Came Back". From a track page: advanced to the next recommended track
Now playing drawer: open, scrubber, tap-to-seek, pause	✅
Profile: collapsible header collapse/expand, tab swipe Tracks → Albums, tap Reposts	✅
Static own profile CPU, 30 s top -l average, two runs each	old 13.6% / 13.3%, new 17.0% / 16.7% → 1.25× (target ≤ ~1.3×). The new-arch run had a paused track in the play bar and the old-arch run had none

Android (emulator, Release189_API_36, clone of Audius_API_36, swiftshader, 4 GB)

• pm clear, then launch: logcat shows [CodePush] Loading JS bundle from "assets://index.android.bundle" once. No "Legacy Architecture" warning. libfabricjni / libreact_newarchdefaults load, with no FATAL EXCEPTION.
• Sign-up and Sign In screens render. The APK on the emulator includes fix(mobile): don't leave the splash up when the preload beats the first effect #14658's JS.
• The guest showed system ANR dialogs (Digital Wellbeing, Pixel Launcher, System UI) under load (guest load avg ~40, 4 vCPU). The app itself didn't ANR.

Not verified

• Everything in the spike's physical-device checklist: lock-screen and notification controls, Bluetooth, CarPlay/Android Auto, background audio for more than 2 min with CPU-kill watch, pushes, Chromecast connect, video, scrypt timing on device, and a Debug build for the ShadowTree::commit assert.
• Android signed in: the emulator is left on the Sign In screen for that pass.
• Whether the splash race also hits Android before fix(mobile): don't leave the splash up when the preload beats the first effect #14658. The emulator run already had the fix.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

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