I’m working on a React Native project and need to update the compileSdkVersion and targetSdkVersion from 33 to 34. Below are the current configurations from my build.gradle files and gradle-wrapper.properties:

android/build.gradle

buildscript {
    ext {
        buildToolsVersion = "31.0.0"
        minSdkVersion = 24
        compileSdkVersion = 34
        targetSdkVersion = 34
        firebaseMessagingVersion = "21.1.0"
        androidXCore = "1.6.0"
        ndkVersion = "21.4.7075529"
    }
    repositories {
        .....
    }
    dependencies {
        classpath('com.android.tools.build:gradle:4.1.3')
        classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:4.3.3'

        // NOTE: Do not place your application dependencies here; they belong
        // in the individual module build.gradle files
    }
}

gradle-wrapper.properties:

distributionBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
distributionPath=wrapper/dists
zipStoreBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
zipStorePath=wrapper/dists
distributionUrl=https://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-6.7.1-bin.zip

Environment:

React Native version: 0.63.5
NDK Version: 21.4.7075529

What I’ve Tried:

1. I attempted to directly change compileSdkVersion and targetSdkVersion to 34, but I ran into this build error related to the AAPT2 tool. Here’s the error :

FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.

* What went wrong:
Execution failed for task ':app:processDebugResources'.
> A failure occurred while executing com.android.build.gradle.internal.tasks.Workers$ActionFacade
   > AAPT2 aapt2-4.1.3-6503028-windows Daemon #0: Unexpected error during link, attempting to stop daemon.
     This should not happen under normal circumstances, please file an issue if it does.

2. I tried upgrading the Gradle wrapper to a newer version (e.g., distributionUrl=https://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-7.0-all.zip), but that resulted in compatibility issues with my current setup.
3. I considered updating the Android Gradle Plugin (classpath ‘com.android.tools.build:gradle:4.1.3’), but I’m unsure of the correct version that would work with my existing dependencies and whether this would resolve the issue.

Question:

What is the best approach to update the compileSdkVersion and targetSdkVersion from 33 to 34 in my React Native project while ensuring compatibility with my current build setup? Specifically, I would like guidance on:

1. Whether I need to upgrade the buildToolsVersion, Gradle version, or any other dependencies to support SDK 34.
2. What changes, if any, are required for the firebaseMessagingVersion, androidXCore, or any other dependencies to avoid build errors.
   3.Any other steps I should take to ensure a smooth upgrade process without introducing new build issues.
3. If the this SDK upgrade can be done without upgrading react native.

Thank you in advance for your assistance!