[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]

Hey! 👋

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Please complete Description section.

[github-actions]

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.