Which React hooks matter most in React Native?

React Native uses the same hooks as React, plus a few platform-aware hooks. The important difference is that effects often subscribe to native events such as app foregrounding, keyboard changes or network status, and those subscriptions must be cleaned up.

import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
import { AppState } from "react-native";

export function useAppActive() {
  const [active, setActive] = useState(AppState.currentState === "active");

  useEffect(() => {
    const subscription = AppState.addEventListener("change", (state) => {
      setActive(state === "active");
    });

    return () => subscription.remove();
  }, []);

  return active;
}

Where each hook fits

• useState for local values that drive rendering
• useRef for timers, previous values and mutable instances that should not trigger renders
• useEffect for subscriptions and side effects, with cleanup
• useMemo and useCallback for stable expensive values or callbacks passed to memoised children
• useWindowDimensions and useColorScheme for responsive and theme-aware UI

Do not wrap every value in useMemo. The hook has its own cost and adds noise. Use it when a computation is expensive or when identity matters to a child's memoisation. Profile before optimising.