Build a Music Player app with React Native, Expo, Typescript and Zustand

Introduction

In this tutorial, we will build a native music player application using React Native, Expo, Typescript, and Zustand. This app will feature essential functionalities such as playing, pausing, seeking, skipping tracks, managing playlists, and a search feature. By the end of this guide, you'll have a fully functional music player inspired by the design of Apple Music.

Step 1: Set Up Your Project

• Install Expo CLI if you haven't already:

  npm install -g expo-cli
  

• Create a new Expo app:

  expo init MusicPlayer
  

  • Choose a template (preferably a blank TypeScript template).
• Navigate into your project:

  cd MusicPlayer
  

Step 2: Set Up App Navigation

• Install Expo Router:

  npm install expo-router
  

• Create necessary directories for your screens:

  mkdir app
  

• Set up the routing in your app by creating an index.tsx file in the app folder and defining your initial routes.

Step 3: Implement App Styling

• Add dark mode support:
  • Use React Native's built-in Appearance API to detect the user’s theme preference.
  • Create a styles.ts file to define your global styles, ensuring they adapt to light and dark themes.

Step 4: Create the Songs Screen

• Design the Songs Screen to display available tracks.
• Fetch your song data from a local JSON file or a remote API.
• Use FlatList to render the list of songs efficiently.

Step 5: Integrate Track Player

• Install React Native Track Player:

  npm install react-native-track-player
  

• Set up Track Player:
  • Create a TrackPlayerService.ts file to handle the player’s functionalities.
  • Initialize the player and set up event listeners for playback control.

Step 6: Build the Floating Player

• Create a floating player component that allows users to control playback from anywhere in the app.
• Use React Native's Animated API for smooth transitions.

Step 7: Add Animated Icons

• Use the react-native-reanimated library for adding animations to your icons like play, pause, and skip.
• Implement animated transitions in response to user actions.

Step 8: Implement Animated Song Titles

• Animate the song title display using the Animated API to enhance user experience during playback.

Step 9: Create the Track Player Screen

• Design a dedicated Track Player Screen that shows current song details and player controls.
• Include options to add songs to favorites and playlists.

Step 10: Build the Favorites Screen

• Create a Favorites Screen to display all favorite tracks.
• Use Zustand for state management to keep track of favorited songs.

Step 11: Manage Song Queue

• Implement queue management to handle the list of songs being played.
• Use Zustand to manage the current queue state and allow users to add or remove songs.

Step 12: Create the Artists Screen

• Design an Artists Screen to list all available artists.
• Allow navigation to each artist's individual page where their songs are listed.

Step 13: Create the Playlist Screen

• Build a Playlists Screen to manage user-created playlists.
• Enable features to add or remove songs from playlists.

Step 14: Add Shortcuts for Playlist and Favorites

• Implement shortcuts for quickly adding songs to playlists or favorites.
• Use customizable buttons within the Songs Screen for these functionalities.

Step 15: Implement Remote Controls

• Set up remote controls for the player to respond to lock screen and control center inputs.
• Utilize the Track Player API to handle these events seamlessly.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you will create a comprehensive music player app with React Native and Expo. Key functionalities such as song playback, playlist management, and user interface enhancements contribute to a polished final product. For further customization, consider exploring additional features like offline playback or integrating third-party APIs for song data. Happy coding!