Use Expo off of a network

I am brand new to expo. It appears that when I use Expo, anyone on the wireless network I am on can view my app. Is that correct? They would have to guess the ip expo gave me, but it appears they could see my app. Is there any way around this? Can I use Expo “privately” so that no one else can see my app. Specifically, I would like to connect my phone to my computer via usb, then download it straight to the device (no access for anyone else on the network).

Thanks for your help.

They would have to guess the ip expo gave me, but it appears they could see my app.

Yes, this is how things currently work if they also knew your port and entry point JS file (not true security measures!).

You can use localhost mode, which works with the iOS simulator as well as connected Android devices (you must set up adb and put the device in development mode first). In localhost mode the project is still accessible over the local network, so you would also need to use a firewall to block incoming requests on ports 19000+ (Expo currently tries to get ports 19000 and 19001 and will use the next consecutive ports if the first are unavailable).

Thanks for the quick response! Expo looks like a great tool, although at the moment I do most of my work on public wifi and don’t want anyone to see my app before it’s released. I will definitely have to give it a try for future apps though!

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