Expo — Xcode Must Be Fully Installed Before You Can Continue | Fix

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React Native
Srivishnu Ramakrishnan
Srivishnu Ramakrishnan
Engineer & Web Creator
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While developing a React Native app using Expo, I encountered a frustrating error when trying to preview my app in the iOS simulator:

bash
Xcode Must Be Fully Installed Before You Can Continue. Continue To The App Store?

What made this particularly annoying was that I had already installed Xcode, and it was fully up to date. If you're facing the same issue, here's how I fixed it and other potential solutions you can try.

The Quick Fix That Worked for Me

The solution that worked for me was running this command in the Mac terminal:

bash
sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer

This command sets the correct path for the Xcode command line tools. After running it, I was able to launch the iOS simulator without any issues.

Why This Error Occurs

This error typically happens because:

  1. The Xcode command line tools aren't properly linked
  2. Multiple Xcode versions are installed
  3. A recent macOS update has affected the Xcode configuration

Alternative Solutions

If the above solution doesn't work for you, here are other fixes you can try:

1. Reset Xcode Path

bash
sudo xcode-select --reset

2. Install Command Line Tools Manually

bash
xcode-select --install

3. Accept Xcode License

bash
sudo xcodebuild -license accept

4. Check Xcode Location

bash
xcode-select -p

This should output /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer. If it shows a different path, that might be the source of your problem.

Additional Troubleshooting Steps

If you're still experiencing issues, try these steps:

  1. Verify Xcode Installation

    • Open Xcode
    • Let it complete any additional installations
    • Check for updates in the App Store

  2. Clean Expo Cache

    bash
    expo start -c

  3. Check Simulator Installation

    bash
    xcrun simctl list devices

  4. Reinstall Xcode

    • As a last resort, you might want to:
      1. Uninstall Xcode
      2. Restart your Mac
      3. Reinstall Xcode from the App Store

Prevention for Future

To prevent this issue in the future:

  1. Always install Xcode from the official App Store
  2. Keep both Xcode and macOS updated
  3. Install any additional components when prompted during first launch
  4. Run xcode-select -p after major macOS updates to verify the path

Conclusion

While this error can be frustrating, it's usually fixable with the command line solution I mentioned. If you're new to React Native development with Expo, don't let this discourage you. Once you get past this initial setup hurdle, the development experience is quite smooth.

Remember to keep your development tools updated and properly configured to avoid similar issues in the future.