diff --git a/.changeset/expo-updates-57-launch-asset-before-start.md b/.changeset/expo-updates-57-launch-asset-before-start.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a45c029b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/expo-updates-57-launch-asset-before-start.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@callstack/react-native-brownfield': patch
+---
+
+Fix an iOS crash with expo-updates 57 when updates are enabled. The Expo runtime no longer asks the Updates controller for its launch asset before the controller has started.
diff --git a/packages/react-native-brownfield/ios/Expo/ExpoHostRuntime.swift b/packages/react-native-brownfield/ios/Expo/ExpoHostRuntime.swift
index 1cb1695c..194fa7c9 100644
--- a/packages/react-native-brownfield/ios/Expo/ExpoHostRuntime.swift
+++ b/packages/react-native-brownfield/ios/Expo/ExpoHostRuntime.swift
@@ -299,6 +299,7 @@ class ExpoHostRuntimeDelegate: ExpoReactNativeFactoryDelegate {
       #if canImport(EXUpdates)
       if AppController.isInitialized(),
         AppController.sharedInstance.isActiveController,
+        AppController.sharedInstance.isStarted,
         let launchAssetURL = AppController.sharedInstance.launchAssetUrl()
       {
         return launchAssetURL
@@ -343,7 +344,8 @@ class ExpoHostRuntimeDelegate: ExpoReactNativeFactoryDelegate {
     #if canImport(EXUpdates)
     guard AppController.isInitialized() else { return false }
     return !AppController.sharedInstance.isActiveController
-      || AppController.sharedInstance.launchAssetUrl() != nil
+      || (AppController.sharedInstance.isStarted
+        && AppController.sharedInstance.launchAssetUrl() != nil)
     #else
     return true
     #endif
diff --git a/packages/react-native-brownfield/ios/Expo/ExpoUpdatesStartup.swift b/packages/react-native-brownfield/ios/Expo/ExpoUpdatesStartup.swift
index b46fef25..d8374f80 100644
--- a/packages/react-native-brownfield/ios/Expo/ExpoUpdatesStartup.swift
+++ b/packages/react-native-brownfield/ios/Expo/ExpoUpdatesStartup.swift
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ final class ExpoUpdatesStartup: NSObject {
     AppController.initializeWithoutStarting()
     let controller = AppController.sharedInstance
     guard controller.isActiveController else { completion(); return }
-    if updatesReady || controller.launchAssetUrl() != nil {
+    // expo-updates 57 traps in launchAssetUrl() until start() sets its startup procedure.
+    if updatesReady || (controller.isStarted && controller.launchAssetUrl() != nil) {
       completion()
       return
     }