[wobsoriano]

Description

Stacked on #10767, which adds the WebView half.

Today, when a signed-in Expo app opens a web page in the system browser, the user lands signed out and has to sign in again. This PR adds openExternalBrowser, which opens the destination in the default browser with the native user signed in.

import { useNativeToWeb } from '@clerk/expo/native-to-web';

const { openExternalBrowser } = useNativeToWeb();
await openExternalBrowser({ destination: 'https://app.example.com/billing' });

What to look at:

• Android referrer. Chrome only accepts the sign-in URL when the intent names the app as referrer. The opener starts a VIEW intent through expo-intent-launcher with REFERRER_NAME set to android-app://<package>. expo-intent-launcher is a new optional peer.
• iOS opens Safari with Linking.openURL.
• Double taps. A second call while one is in flight opens one browser tab, not two.

Tested with an Expo SDK 58 app on a dev instance with the flag on:

Platform	Result
iOS 27 simulator	Safari, signed in
Android API 36 emulator	Chrome, signed in

Checklist

• pnpm test runs as expected.
• pnpm build runs as expected.
• (If applicable) JSDoc comments have been added or updated for any package exports
• (If applicable) Documentation has been updated

Type of change

• 🐛 Bug fix
• 🌟 New feature
• 🔨 Breaking change
• 📖 Refactoring / dependency upgrade / documentation
• other:

🤖 Generated with Claude under Rob's supervision.

Part of MOBILE-450

[vercel]

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Project	Deployment	Actions	Updated
clerk-js-sandbox	Ready	Preview	Nov 14, 2026 2:22am UTC
swingset	Ready	Preview	Nov 14, 2026 2:22am UTC

[changeset-bot]

⚠️ No Changeset found

Latest commit: 96ce935

Merging this PR will not cause a version bump for any packages. If these changes should not result in a new version, you're good to go. If these changes should result in a version bump, you need to add a changeset.

This PR includes changesets to release 1 package

Name	Type
@clerk/expo	Minor

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[blacksmith-sh]

Android: Chrome opens signed in

blocked (environment) — Needs an Android emulator running a build of an app that calls openExternalBrowser, against an instance with session transfers on; the sandbox has no Android SDK, Java or such test-app screen.

Also checked · 4 match · 1 not run

iOS: Safari opens signed in · Blocked
Android intent names the app as referrer
iOS hands the URL to Linking.openURL
Double tap opens one tab
Missing expo-intent-launcher

Note

Proof planned 1 claim but was not able to run it:

Needs the iOS Simulator

• iOS: Safari opens signed in

_{Proof on 96ce9356 (from 49568cd2) · mocked: react-native, expo-intent-launcher, expo... (no device runtime in the sandbox, so the harness swaps Linking, AppState, Platfo...), Clerk Frontend API (setting session transfers feature flag) · not run: Android emulator with Chrome (the sandbox has no Android SDK, Java or Gradle build of the expo-native test app...), iOS Simulator with Safari (the Linux sandbox cannot run the iOS Simulator) · Did Proof get it right? Yes · No}

View full Proof report · React 👎 or comment @codesmith dismiss this proof to dismiss