CES 2026 Companion Apps: Templates for Exhibitors and Gadget Startups

Ship a CES 2026 companion app in days — not weeks

CES exhibitors and gadget startups face the same blunt truth in 2026: you need a production-grade companion app that demos products, captures leads, and updates over the air — fast. Long release cycles, flaky third-party packages, and confusing Expo/React Native compatibility kill momentum. This starter-kit blueprint and practical guide gives engineering teams a repeatable path to ship a polished companion app with product pages, AR previews, video demos, lead capture, and OTA updates for CES launch windows.

Why this matters in 2026

Late 2025 and early 2026 reinforced three trends: mobile AR moved from demo novelty to purchasing driver; 5G + edge compute enabled higher-fidelity streaming demos on-device; and Expo/EAS updates matured to make safe over-the-air code and content delivery practical for rapid iteration at shows. Exhibitors who can deliver interactive product experiences and fast follow-ups (lead capture + CRM sync) convert more visitors into customers. A curated starter kit saves weeks by bundling tested integrations and common UX patterns.

What this starter kit solves

• Fast publish — Expo-managed builds plus EAS Update for OTA means fewer build cycles before CES.
• Reusable UI — Product list, detail pages, gallery, video player, and lead forms that are ready-to-theme.
• AR preview — Cross-platform AR preview using USDZ/GLB with a WebView fallback for non-AR devices.
• Lead capture & CRM — QR + NFC + in-app forms wired to webhook endpoints and common CRMs.
• Safe OTAs — EAS Update (or react-native-code-push where needed) with staged rollout controls.

Starter kit architecture — minimal and practical

Design the kit so an exhibitor engineering team can fork and run in a day. Recommended stack:

• React Native (Expo-managed workflow) for fastest iteration and device feature access
• React Navigation + Reanimated for smooth native-feel transitions
• react-native-vision-camera for QR scanning and camera-based interactions
• react-native-video for HLS video demos; local progressive + cloud HLS for fallback
• WebView + <model-viewer> for AR previews (USDZ for iOS Quick Look + GLB for Android)
• EAS Build + EAS Update for OTA + staged rollout and rollback
• CI with Dependabot/Snyk and automated tests for dependency safety (consider a quick one-page stack audit to eliminate unused packages)

Why Expo?

In 2026 Expo's managed workflow remains the quickest route to a working app with minimal native setup. EAS Update now supports safer staged rollouts and native config syncing, which is crucial when you need to push last-minute content fixes during a show without resubmitting to app stores.

Core features — implementation patterns

1) Product pages that sell

Product pages must load instantly, show spec highlights, and link to AR or demo video. Use a compact component set: hero image carousel, spec bullets, CTA row (AR, Demo, Save/Share), and a quick lead-capture inline form.

export default function ProductPage({product}) {
  return (
    <ScrollView>
      <ImageCarousel images={product.images} />
      <View style={{padding:16}}>
        <Text style={{fontSize:20,fontWeight:'600'}}>{product.name}</Text>
        <Text>{product.tagline}</Text>
        <SpecList specs={product.specs} />
        <ActionRow>
          <Button title='View in AR' onPress={() => openAR(product)} />
          <Button title='Play Demo' onPress={() => setShowVideo(true)} />
        </ActionRow>
        <InlineLeadForm productId={product.id} />
      </View>
    </ScrollView>
  )
}

Actionable: model assets and sizes

• Ship a USDZ for iOS Quick Look and a GLB for Android/Web. Keep each under 25MB where possible.
• Host assets on a CDN (Cloudflare, S3+CloudFront) and enable caching headers so AR previews load instantly at the show; consider demo lighting and presentation techniques from creators who package ambient lighting loops for product demos.

2) AR preview: realistic, cross-platform

Reality at CES: attendees expect near-instant AR placement. Don't rely on large native AR SDKs that need heavy native build changes. Use a pragmatic pattern:

1. For iOS, prefer a link to the USDZ file that opens in Quick Look: Linking.openURL('https://cdn.example.com/models/product.usdz')
2. For Android and other devices, embed a small WebView with <model-viewer> (WebXR fallback) — fast and easy to maintain

// open-ar.js
import {Platform, Linking} from 'react-native'
export function openAR(product) {
  const url = product.usdzUrl
  if (Platform.OS === 'ios' && url) {
    Linking.openURL(url) // opens Quick Look
    return
  }
  // fallback: open internal WebView route that uses 
  navigate('ARWebView', {src: product.glbUrl})
}

3) Video demos — low-latency, high-quality

Ship two video options: an in-app HLS stream for high-res demos and a lightweight GIF/MP4 preview for quick interactions. Use react-native-video for HLS and prefetch the first segment before the user taps Play to avoid buffering; for tips on demo lighting used in background B-roll, see best smart lamps for background B-roll.

4) Lead capture that converts

A good lead flow is friction-free: QR scan to open product, one-tap fill for booth reps, and instant push to CRM plus a follow-up email. Recommended flow:

1. Generate a QR code per product that encodes a deep link (myapp://product/123)
2. Deep link opens product page with prefilled context (booth id, rep id)
3. Inline lead form captures name, email, phone and permission flags
4. Send leads to a webhook that writes to your CRM and triggers an email workflow (HubSpot, Salesforce, or Zapier)

async function submitLead(lead) {
  const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/leads', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {'Content-Type': 'application/json'},
    body: JSON.stringify(lead)
  })
  return res.ok
}

Actionable: crowd-friendly capture

• Offer booth staff a short ID to quickly tag leads (e.g., rep-23).
• Use QR codes on the booth and product cards to reduce typing.
• Respect privacy: capture explicit opt-in for marketing (GDPR/CCPA).

5) OTA updates — iterate in show time

OTA updates are the difference between “we fixed that bug” and “you have to wait 7 days for a store review.” In 2026, Expo EAS Update is the pragmatic default for Expo-managed apps. If you use a bare workflow, react-native-code-push remains an option but needs more native setup and policy review.

import * as Updates from 'expo-updates'

async function checkForUpdate() {
  try {
    const update = await Updates.checkForUpdateAsync()
    if (update.isAvailable) {
      await Updates.fetchUpdateAsync()
      await Updates.reloadAsync()
    }
  } catch (e) {
    console.warn('Update failed', e)
  }
}

Staged rollouts: configure release channels for CES (e.g., 'ces-internal', 'ces-stable') and deploy first to internal devices carried by reps before rolling to booth tablets.

Quality & compliance checklist for exhibitor apps

• Automated dependency scanning (Snyk, Dependabot) — block vulnerable transitive deps
• Privacy policy embedded and consent toggle before lead capture
• Offline support for product pages with cached assets for poor venue connectivity (local-first sync appliances can inform offline strategies)
• Accessibility basics — large tap targets and readable fonts under show lighting
• App Store policy review for OTA strategy — don't change binary-only features via JS updates

Compatibility & migration guidance (Expo & React Native)

React Native and Expo versions can be a source of friction. In 2026, the recommended pattern for speed is to target the latest stable Expo SDK used by EAS Build. If you have native SDK requirements (special device integrations), maintain a bare workflow but keep the UI code Expo-compatible so it can be reused across projects.

When evaluating third-party packages, prefer those with:

• TypeScript types and well-documented native setup steps
• Active maintenance (commits in the last 12 months)
• Clear license (MIT, Apache 2.0) and vulnerability history

Developer checklist — get to “demo-ready” in 72 hours

1. Clone the starter kit and run expo start (or yarn start). Confirm product pages render.
2. Upload a small USDZ and GLB to your CDN and test AR Quick Look + model-viewer WebView.
3. Wire lead capture endpoint to a test webhook and validate the JSON payload and CRM mapping.
4. Configure EAS Update channels: push a content-only update and validate staged rollout to a few test devices.
5. Preload videos (first 3 seconds) and enable caching for offline demo mode.
6. Test in low-connectivity mode and confirm fallback assets show correctly; for field rig and live demo planning, reference real-world setups in the Field Rig Review.

Real-world example: a gadget startup at CES 2026

Case: A wearables startup launched at CES with a two-person dev team and 3 booth reps. They used an Expo starter kit to:

• Ship a 6-screen app in 4 days (list, detail, AR, video, lead form, settings)
• Use QR stickers on product stands; 40% of leads came via quick-scan deep links
• Deployed an EAS Update fix during day 1 to correct copy and pushed to booth tablets instantly
• Synced leads to HubSpot via a webhook and automated follow-up emails, increasing post-show demo requests by 73%

This pattern scales: the same codebase supported retail demos after CES by toggling feature flags and updates. If you plan retail demos or post-show clearance lanes, consider lifecycle and liquidation models described in end-of-season gadget liquidation.

Advanced strategies & future-proofing

• Feature flags for AR, video quality, and lead capture flows so you can A/B test at CES.
• On-device inference (small ML models) to offer instant product recommendations without cloud latency — practical with modern mobile NPUs in 2026 devices; see notes from mobile micro-studio evolution for field-aware on-device patterns.
• Generative assets for personalized demo videos: short, on-device clips that mention the visitor's name (opt-in) for higher recall.
• Multi-app reuse — build the kit as a monorepo with shared UI packages so marketing and product teams can spin new shows quickly.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Overloading the app with heavy native SDKs — prefer web-based AR previews where possible.
• Neglecting staged OTA rollouts — always test updates on a small fleet before company-wide push.
• Poor asset caching — host on a CDN and validate cache headers; bring an offline bundle for booth tablets and ensure you have reliable power (see portable power station comparisons).
• Unclear lead ownership — assign rep IDs and team routing rules inside your webhook consumer.

Security, licensing, and maintenance (what exhibitors must check)

Before the show, confirm:

• Third-party libs have acceptable licenses (avoid restrictive copyleft for commercial kits)
• Dependency scanning is active and failing builds block vulnerable releases
• All lead data is encrypted in transit; store minimum personally identifiable information
• OTAs are limited to JS/content updates and don't change native entitlements without App Store resubmission

Quick starter-kit file map (opinionated)

starter-kit/
├─ app.json (expo)
├─ src/
│  ├─ screens/
│  │  ├─ ProductList.tsx
│  │  ├─ ProductPage.tsx
│  │  ├─ ARWebView.tsx
│  │  └─ LeadForm.tsx
│  ├─ components/
│  └─ services/
│     ├─ api.ts (lead webhook)
│     └─ updates.ts (EAS check)
└─ assets/
   ├─ models/product.glb
   └─ models/product.usdz

Actionable takeaways

• Use Expo + EAS Update for the fastest path to a CES-ready companion app.
• Ship small USDZ + GLB assets on a CDN and use Quick Look + model-viewer for cross-platform AR.
• Prioritize lead capture: QR deep links and rep IDs increase conversion and simplify follow-up; wire deep links to your messaging and linking strategy (see self-hosted messaging future-proofing).
• Configure staged OTA channels and use them during the show to fix copy and content fast.

Rule of thumb: For CES, the simplest reliable experience that works offline and updates safely beats flashy but brittle integrations every time.

Next steps — a 7-day plan

1. Day 1: Fork the starter kit, theme it, and confirm product pages render.
2. Day 2: Upload model assets and test AR previews on iOS + Android.
3. Day 3: Wire lead webhook and validate CRM flow; generate QR codes.
4. Day 4: Add video HLS assets and prefetch logic.
5. Day 5: Configure EAS channels and run internal OTA test.
6. Day 6: Run accessibility and offline QA; prepare NDA-friendly demo mode.
7. Day 7: Deploy to booth devices and train reps on lead capture flows.

Call to action

If you’re exhibiting at CES 2026 and want to stop losing leads to paper forms and broken demos, grab the React Native CES Starter Kit on reactnative.store. It includes production-ready screens, AR preview patterns, EAS Update config, and a CRM webhook template so your team can ship in days — not weeks. Prefer a hands-off approach? Contact our team for a 48-hour booth-ready build and on-site support.

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