[Gradle Build Error] Failed to compile with Kotlin 1.9.25 using react-native-reanimated on EAS Build (Expo Managed)

[JulianSET]

Description

🧨 Summary

I am using react-native-reanimated in an Expo Managed project and trying to build an AAB using EAS Build (:app:bundleRelease). The build fails at the Run gradlew phase due to incompatibility between Kotlin versions and native method calls in ReanimatedNativeHierarchyManager.

---

📦 Environment

• Expo SDK: 50.0.7
• react-native-reanimated: 3.8.0
• expo-build-properties: 0.10.0
• expo-modules-core: 2.2.3
• Gradle: 8.10.2
• Android Gradle Plugin: 8.6.0
• Kotlin: 1.9.25 (forced in eas.json and app.json)
• Workflow: Expo Managed
• Target: Android (.aab)

---

📄 Configuration Files

eas.json

{
  "build": {
    "android": {
      "env": {
        "KOTLIN_VERSION": "1.9.25"
      }
    }
  }
}

app.json

{
  "expo": {
    "plugins": [
      [
        "expo-build-properties",
        {
          "android": {
            "kotlinVersion": "1.9.25",
            "composeCompilerVersion": "1.5.8"
          }
        }
      ]
    ]
  }
}

❌ Error Output

> Task :react-native-reanimated:compileReleaseJavaWithJavac FAILED
error: no suitable method found for updateLayout(int,int,int,int,int,int)
super.updateLayout(parentTag, tag, x, y, width, height);
^
method NativeViewHierarchyManager.updateLayout(int,int,int,int,int) is not applicable
(actual and formal argument lists differ in length)

... 

error: cannot find symbol
super.dismissPopupMenu();
^
symbol: method dismissPopupMenu()

error: cannot find symbol
return ((ReactViewBackgroundDrawable) background).getFullBorderRadius();

🔍 What I've Tried
Downgrading react-native-reanimated to 3.7.1 → still fails

Ensuring all Kotlin versions are set to 1.9.25 in eas.json and app.json

Using latest expo-build-properties

Ensuring no native code was manually edited (Expo Managed workflow)

Read and followed: https://docs.expo.dev/build-reference/variables/#kotlin_version

❓Expected
A successful AAB build with Kotlin 1.9.25, using react-native-reanimated on EAS Build.

📌 Questions
Is react-native-reanimated fully compatible with Kotlin 1.9.25 and Expo SDK 50.x?

Are there specific versions required for expo-modules-core or other native modules to avoid this?

Do I need to eject the project to resolve this, or is a patch/config workaround available?

📎 Additional Context
I’m using EAS Build for the Play Store release and cannot modify build.gradle directly.

Any help, patch suggestions, or version alignment advice would be hugely appreciated 🙏



### Steps to reproduce

1. Create a new Expo-managed app.
2. Install `react-native-reanimated` version 3.17.4.
3. Add the `expo-build-properties` plugin and set the Kotlin version and Compose Compiler version in `app.json`:

```json
{
  "expo": {
    "plugins": [
      [
        "expo-build-properties",
        {
          "android": {
            "kotlinVersion": "1.9.25",
            "composeCompilerVersion": "1.5.8"
          }
        }
      ]
    ]
  }
}
4. Run eas build -p android --profile production.
5. The build fails at :react-native-reanimated:compileReleaseJavaWithJavac due to incompatible method signature updateLayout(...) and deprecated usage of ReactViewBackgroundDrawable.

### Snack or a link to a repository

Not applicable – the issue happens during EAS build, not at runtime. No code execution is involved.

### Reanimated version

3.6.1

### React Native version

0.76.0

### Platforms

Android

### JavaScript runtime

None

### Workflow

None

### Architecture

None

### Build type

_No response_

### Device

_No response_

### Host machine

None

### Device model

_No response_

### Acknowledgements

Yes

[github-actions[bot]]

Hey! 👋

It looks like you've omitted a few important sections from the issue template.

Please complete Description section.

[github-actions[bot]]

Hey! 👋

The issue doesn't seem to contain a minimal reproduction.

Could you provide a snack or a link to a GitHub repository under your username that reproduces the problem?

[tomekzaw]

@JulianSET Please try upgrading Reanimated to a newer version according to the compatibility table.

[devhik0]

Still got same error from my project,

> Configure project :
[ExpoRootProject] Using the following versions:
  - buildTools:  35.0.0
  - minSdk:      24
  - compileSdk:  35
  - targetSdk:   35
  - ndk:         27.1.12297006
  - kotlin:      2.0.21
  - ksp:         2.0.21-1.0.28

> Configure project :expo

Using expo modules
  - expo-constants (17.1.7)
  - expo-modules-core (2.5.0)
  - [?] expo-asset (11.1.7)
  - [?] expo-blur (14.1.5)
  - [?] expo-file-system (18.1.11)
  - [?] expo-font (13.3.2)
  - [?] expo-haptics (14.1.4)
  - [?] expo-image (2.4.0)
  - [?] expo-keep-awake (14.1.4)
  - [?] expo-linking (7.1.7)
  - [?] expo-splash-screen (0.30.10)
  - [?] expo-system-ui (5.0.10)
  - [?] expo-web-browser (14.2.0)


> Configure project :react-native-reanimated
Android gradle plugin: 8.8.2
Gradle: 8.13


FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.

* What went wrong:
Execution failed for task ':react-native-reanimated:compileDebugJavaWithJavac'.
> Compilation failed; see the compiler output below.
  C:\Users\~~~\node_modules\react-native-reanimated\android\src\main\java\com\swmansion\reanimated\ReactNativeUtils.java:6: error: cannot find symbol
  import com.facebook.react.views.view.ReactViewBackgroundDrawable;
                                      ^
    symbol:   class ReactViewBackgroundDrawable
    location: package com.facebook.react.views.view
  C:\Users\~~~\node_modules\react-native-reanimated\android\src\main\java\com\swmansion\reanimated\layoutReanimation\ReanimatedNativeHierarchyManager.java:256: error: no suitable method found for updateLayout(int,int,int,int,int,int)
      super.updateLayout(parentTag, tag, x, y, width, height);
           ^
      method NativeViewHierarchyManager.updateLayout(int,int,int,int,int) is not applicable
        (actual and formal argument lists differ in length)
      method NativeViewHierarchyManager.updateLayout(int,int,int,int,int,int,YogaDirection) is not applicable
        (actual and formal argument lists differ in length)
      method NativeViewHierarchyManager.updateLayout(View,int,int,int,int) is not applicable
        (actual and formal argument lists differ in length)
  C:\Users\~~~\node_modules\react-native-reanimated\android\src\main\java\com\swmansion\reanimated\ReactNativeUtils.java:16: error: cannot find symbol
        if (background instanceof ReactViewBackgroundDrawable) {
                                  ^
    symbol:   class ReactViewBackgroundDrawable
    location: class ReactNativeUtils
  C:\Users\~~~\node_modules\react-native-reanimated\android\src\main\java\com\swmansion\reanimated\ReactNativeUtils.java:17: error: cannot find symbol
          return ((ReactViewBackgroundDrawable) background).getFullBorderRadius();
                   ^
    symbol:   class ReactViewBackgroundDrawable
    location: class ReactNativeUtils
  C:\Users\~~~\node_modules\react-native-reanimated\android\src\main\java\com\swmansion\reanimated\ReanimatedModule.java:119: warning: [removal] onCatalystInstanceDestroy() in NativeModule has been deprecated and marked for removal
    public void onCatalystInstanceDestroy() {
                ^
  C:\Users\~~~\node_modules\react-native-reanimated\android\src\main\java\com\swmansion\reanimated\ReanimatedModule.java:120: warning: [removal] onCatalystInstanceDestroy() in NativeModule has been deprecated and marked for removal
      super.onCatalystInstanceDestroy();
           ^
  C:\Users\~~~\node_modules\react-native-reanimated\android\src\reactNativeVersionPatch\ReanimatedUIManager\latest\com\swmansion\reanimated\layoutReanimation\ReanimatedUIManager.java:103: error: cannot find symbol
      super.replaceExistingNonRootView(oldTag, newTag);
           ^
    symbol: method replaceExistingNonRootView(int,int)
  C:\Users\~~~\node_modules\react-native-reanimated\android\src\reactNativeVersionPatch\ReanimatedUIManager\latest\com\swmansion\reanimated\layoutReanimation\ReanimatedUIManager.java:116: error: cannot find symbol
      super.removeSubviewsFromContainerWithID(containerTag);
           ^
    symbol: method removeSubviewsFromContainerWithID(int)
  C:\Users\~~~\node_modules\react-native-reanimated\android\src\reactNativeVersionPatch\ReanimatedUIManager\latest\com\swmansion\reanimated\layoutReanimation\ReanimatedUIManager.java:167: error: cannot find symbol
      super.measureLayoutRelativeToParent(tag, errorCallback, successCallback);
           ^
    symbol: method measureLayoutRelativeToParent(int,Callback,Callback)
  C:\Users\~~~\node_modules\react-native-reanimated\android\src\reactNativeVersionPatch\ReanimatedUIManager\latest\com\swmansion\reanimated\layoutReanimation\ReanimatedUIManager.java:227: error: cannot find symbol
      super.showPopupMenu(reactTag, items, error, success);
           ^
    symbol: method showPopupMenu(int,ReadableArray,Callback,Callback)
  C:\Users\~~~\node_modules\react-native-reanimated\android\src\reactNativeVersionPatch\ReanimatedUIManager\latest\com\swmansion\reanimated\layoutReanimation\ReanimatedUIManager.java:232: error: cannot find symbol
      super.dismissPopupMenu();
           ^
    symbol: method dismissPopupMenu()
  C:\Users\~~~\node_modules\react-native-reanimated\android\src\reactNativeVersionPatch\ReactFeatureFlagsWrapper\latest\com\swmansion\reanimated\ReactFeatureFlagsWrapper.java:8: error: cannot find symbol
      ReactFeatureFlags.enableMountHooks = true;
                       ^
    symbol:   variable enableMountHooks
    location: class ReactFeatureFlags
...

[AdarshJais]

Any resolution??