Device features

Zvessa draws real native screens (Expo, React Native), so blocks, kits and mini-apps can use the phone itself: icons, haptics, sensors, camera, push and more. Each feature is one shared piece used by many blocks, never wired into one screen, and each asks for permission only when first needed, in words from the blueprint. Package choices and versions: the "myaibio packages and dependencies" plan in the project.

When column: Ready is in the app today. Next is in the first install list (Expo SDK 58, npx expo install). Later is added when the block or kit that needs it starts, so the app stays small until then.

Icons #

Icons are named by meaning, never by an SF Symbol or Material name: send, delete, ai, coin, game and about 120 more in src/icons/icons.json. A blueprint stores the name as a string (an icon prop), so it works the same on every platform.

import { Icon, ICON_NAMES, isIconName, type IconName } from "src/icons";

<Icon name="send" color="accent" size={20} label="Send" />

iOS draws the matching SF Symbol (expo-symbols). Android and web draw it from an 18 KB Material Symbols subset font, so only the icons we use ship.
color is a style colour name, and size scales with the style's type. An unknown name draws a circle instead of breaking.
Adding an icon: add "name": ["sf.symbol.name", "material_name"] to icons.json, run python3 src/icons/build-font.py, then the typecheck.

Look and feel #

Feature	Used for	Package	When
Haptics	Taps, approve and undo, game feedback; follows the style's `motion.haptics`	`expo-haptics`	Next
Animation	Smooth motion on the UI thread; follows the style's `motion.speed`	`react-native-reanimated`	Next
Gestures	Swipes, drags, reorder, pinch-zoom	`react-native-gesture-handler`	Next
Frosted glass	Glass panes, sheets and tab bars (style `treatment: glass`)	`expo-blur`, `expo-glass-effect`	Next
Gradients	Gradient backdrops and buttons	`expo-linear-gradient`, `expo-mesh-gradient`	Next
Native controls	Real switches, pickers, sliders, date fields, sheets	`@expo/ui`, community pickers	Next
Native tabs	The real iOS tab bar and Android's bar; scrollable top tabs	`expo-router` native tabs	Next
Fast lists	Long chats, versions, collections	`@shopify/flash-list`	Next
Fast images	Cached images with placeholders	`expo-image`	Next
Animated stickers	Lottie celebrations and loaders	`lottie-react-native`	Next
Charts and shapes	Chart, progress and vector blocks	`react-native-svg`	Next

Sensors #

expo-sensors (Next): accelerometer, gyroscope, device motion, magnetometer (compass), barometer and pedometer. Used for tilt and shake games, step trackers and motion effects, and passed to mini-apps through the bridge (Mini-apps).

Rules, because sensors drain the battery fastest:

Subscribe only while the block or app is on screen and the app is in the foreground (useLive(), Performance); unsubscribe when it turns false and on unmount.
Ask for the lowest rate that works (setUpdateInterval): 30 Hz for tilt, 10 Hz for a compass, the pedometer's own counts for steps. Never above 60 Hz.
One shared subscription per sensor, fanned out to every block that wants it.
Location (expo-location, Later) uses the coarsest accuracy that works and never runs in the background unless the person turned that on for a kit.

Media #

Feature	Package	When
Pick or take photos and video (HEIC converted on the phone)	`expo-image-picker`	Ready
Resize and compress before upload	`expo-image-manipulator`	Next
Background upload	`expo-file-system`	Next
Native video player, picture-in-picture	`expo-video`	Ready
Play and record audio, voice notes	`expo-audio`	Ready
Camera and QR scanning	`expo-camera`	Later
Save to the photo library	`expo-media-library`	Later

Photos and small files go to Convex file storage; video and large files to Cloudflare R2 through the Convex R2 component, so the app never holds storage keys.

Calls and live #

Ready: LiveKit (@livekit/react-native, livekit-client on the web) for voice and video calls, group rooms, stages, screen share (iPhone through a broadcast extension) and recording, self-hosted next to Convex. Needs a development build. Setup: docs/LIVE.md.

Notifications #

Ready: expo-notifications on the phone, Expo's push service from Convex (convex/push.ts). Calls ring a closed phone with Answer and Decline buttons. People are asked to allow notifications the first time they need them, not at sign-in. People choose on, digest or off per kind and per space, quiet hours and pause, and a tap opens the exact page (Notifications).

Everything else #

Feature	Package	When
Keep the sign-in token in the Keychain / Keystore	`expo-secure-store`	Ready
Sandboxed mini-apps	`react-native-webview`	Ready
Copy and paste	`expo-clipboard`	Next
Language and date format	`expo-localization`	Next
Random ids and hashes	`expo-crypto`	Next
Pick files	`expo-document-picker`	Ready
Share a page or export	`expo-sharing`	Later
In-app browser and OAuth	`expo-web-browser`	Later
Face ID / fingerprint to unlock or approve	`expo-local-authentication`	Later
Maps with pins	`expo-maps`	Later
Add to calendar, invite from contacts	`expo-calendar`, `expo-contacts`	Later
Read aloud	`expo-speech`	Later
Keep the screen on (games, recipes, timers)	`expo-keep-awake`	Later
Landscape for games and video	`expo-screen-orientation`	Later
Print or save as PDF; a page as an image	`expo-print`, `react-native-view-shot`	Later
Home-screen widgets; Siri and Shortcuts	`expo-widgets`, `expo-app-intents`	Later
Offline pages and drafts	`expo-sqlite`	Later

Permissions #

One hook asks for camera, microphone, photos, location, motion and push only when first needed, explains why in words from the blueprint, and handles "no" without breaking the screen. A mini-app gets a device permission only after the person allows it for that app.

Limits #

A brand-new native module needs an app update through the stores, so native power comes from this shipped kit of features. Blocks, kits, styles and mini-apps never need one.
Claude can preview the web build; native screens are tested in a development build on a phone.

Links into the app #

Links that open the app use zvessa:// (for example an invite link when no web address is set). Older myaibio:// links still open the app.