During February 2026, Ben Hamilton focused on enhancing Android networking reliability in the facebook/react-native repository. He addressed a critical issue by refining the NetworkingModule to restore support for file:// URIs in fetch() and XMLHttpRequest, aligning Android behavior with iOS and improving cross-platform consistency for local asset access. His approach involved targeted updates in Kotlin, including adjustments to networking logic and comprehensive unit testing across modules such as BlobModuleTest and NetworkEventUtilTest to ensure regression safety. By merging the fix and updating changelogs, Ben improved local-file workflows for developers, demonstrating depth in Android development, networking, and test-driven engineering practices.