How to fix Expo "the app name you entered is already being used"

So you run expo upload:ios and get this error:

The app name you entered is already being used. If you have trademark rights to this name and would like it released for your use, submit a claim.

What’s going on here is that the Apple App Store doesn’t allow multiple apps with the same name.

You need to upload the app again to App Store Connect, but using a different name (this is why you see a lot of apps called “Shine: Calm Anxiety & Stress”, instead of “Shine”).

You don’t need to change the app’s name in your app.json file though. This means that your app’s name on people’s home screens will stay the same as you defined in app.json.

To change only the name of the app in the App Store, and not on the home screen, run this command instead:

expo upload:ios --app-name "My App - Unique Name"