diff --git a/apps/Example.tsx b/apps/Example.tsx
index 306e1799c2..d2dbca98fe 100644
--- a/apps/Example.tsx
+++ b/apps/Example.tsx
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ import Orientation from './src/screens/Orientation';
 import SearchBar from './src/screens/SearchBar';
 import Events from './src/screens/Events';
 import Gestures from './src/screens/Gestures';
-// import BarButtonItems from './src/screens/BarButtonItems';
+import BarButtonItems from './src/screens/BarButtonItems';
 
 import { GestureDetectorProvider } from 'react-native-screens/gesture-handler';
 import { GestureHandlerRootView } from 'react-native-gesture-handler';
@@ -128,11 +128,11 @@ const SCREENS: Record<
     component: Gestures,
     type: 'playground',
   },
-  // BarButtonItems: {
-  //   title: 'Bar Button Items',
-  //   component: BarButtonItems,
-  //   type: 'playground',
-  // },
+  BarButtonItems: {
+    title: 'Bar Button Items',
+    component: BarButtonItems,
+    type: 'playground',
+  },
 };
 
 if (isTestSectionEnabled()) {
diff --git a/ios/RNSBarButtonItem.mm b/ios/RNSBarButtonItem.mm
index a35d72871f..8a7f4bac64 100644
--- a/ios/RNSBarButtonItem.mm
+++ b/ios/RNSBarButtonItem.mm
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #import <React/RCTConvert.h>
 #import <React/RCTFont.h>
 #import <React/RCTImageSource.h>
-#import <objc/runtime.h>
+#import "RCTImageSource+AccessHiddenMembers.h"
 #import "RNSDefines.h"
 
 @implementation RNSBarButtonItem {
@@ -20,48 +20,36 @@ - (instancetype)initWithConfig:(NSDictionary<NSString *, id> *)dict
     return self;
   }
 
-  self.title = dict[@"title"];
-
+  NSString *title = dict[@"title"];
   NSDictionary *imageSourceObj = dict[@"imageSource"];
   NSDictionary *templateSourceObj = dict[@"templateSource"];
-
-  RCTImageSource *imageSource = nil;
-  if (imageSourceObj) {
-    imageSource = [RCTConvert RCTImageSource:imageSourceObj];
-  } else if (templateSourceObj) {
-    imageSource = [RCTConvert RCTImageSource:templateSourceObj];
-  }
-
-  if (imageSource) {
-    [imageLoader loadImageWithURLRequest:imageSource.request
-        size:imageSource.size
-        scale:imageSource.scale
-        clipped:true
-        resizeMode:RCTResizeModeContain
-        progressBlock:^(int64_t progress, int64_t total) {
-        }
-        partialLoadBlock:^(UIImage *_Nonnull image) {
-        }
-        completionBlock:^(NSError *_Nullable error, UIImage *_Nullable image) {
-          dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
-            UIImage *imageWithRenderingMode = nil;
-            if (imageSourceObj) {
-              imageWithRenderingMode = [image imageWithRenderingMode:UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysOriginal];
-            } else if (templateSourceObj) {
-              imageWithRenderingMode = [image imageWithRenderingMode:UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysTemplate];
-            }
-            self.image = imageWithRenderingMode;
-          });
-        }];
-  }
   NSString *sfSymbolName = dict[@"sfSymbolName"];
-  if (sfSymbolName) {
+
+  if (imageSourceObj != nil) {
+    void (^completionAction)(NSError *_Nullable, UIImage *_Nullable) =
+        ^(NSError *_Nullable error, UIImage *_Nullable image) {
+          self.image = [image imageWithRenderingMode:UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysOriginal];
+        };
+    [self loadImageSyncFromImageSourceJson:imageSourceObj withImageLoader:imageLoader completionBlock:completionAction];
+  } else if (templateSourceObj != nil) {
+    void (^completionAction)(NSError *_Nullable, UIImage *_Nullable) =
+        ^(NSError *_Nullable error, UIImage *_Nullable image) {
+          self.image = [image imageWithRenderingMode:UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysTemplate];
+        };
+    [self loadImageSyncFromImageSourceJson:templateSourceObj
+                           withImageLoader:imageLoader
+                           completionBlock:completionAction];
+  } else if (sfSymbolName != nil) {
     self.image = [UIImage systemImageNamed:sfSymbolName];
   }
 
-  NSDictionary *titleStyle = dict[@"titleStyle"];
-  if (titleStyle) {
-    [self setTitleStyleFromConfig:titleStyle];
+  if (title != nil) {
+    self.title = title;
+
+    NSDictionary *titleStyle = dict[@"titleStyle"];
+    if (titleStyle != nil) {
+      [self setTitleStyleFromConfig:titleStyle];
+    }
   }
 
   id tintColorObj = dict[@"tintColor"];
@@ -339,4 +327,55 @@ - (void)setBadgeFromConfig:(NSDictionary *)badgeObj
 }
 #endif
 
+/**
+ * Should be called from UI thread only. If done so, the method **tries** to load the image synchronously.
+ * There is no guarantee, because in release mode we rely on `RCTImageLoader` implementation details.
+ * No matter how the image is loaded, `completionBlock` is executed on main queue.
+ */
+- (void)loadImageSyncFromImageSourceJson:(nonnull NSDictionary *)imageSourceJson
+                         withImageLoader:(nullable RCTImageLoader *)imageLoader
+                         completionBlock:
+                             (void (^_Nonnull)(NSError *_Nullable error, UIImage *_Nullable image))completion
+{
+  RCTAssert(RCTIsMainQueue(), @"[RNScreens] Expected to run on main queue");
+
+  RCTImageSource *imageSource = [RCTConvert RCTImageSource:imageSourceJson];
+  RCTAssert(imageSource != nil, @"[RNScreens] Expected nonnill image source");
+
+  // We use `+ [RCTConvert UIImage:]` only in debug mode, because it is deprecated, however
+  // I haven't found different way to load image synchronously in debug other than
+  // writing the code manually.
+
+#if !defined(NDEBUG) // We're in debug mode here
+  if (!imageSource.packagerAsset) {
+    // This is rather unexpected. In debug mode local asset should be sourced from packager.
+    RCTLogWarn(@"[RNScreens] Unexpected case during image load: loading not a packager asset");
+  }
+
+  // Try to load anyway.
+  UIImage *loadedImage = [RCTConvert UIImage:imageSourceJson];
+  completion(nil, loadedImage);
+  return;
+#else // We're in release mode here
+  [imageLoader loadImageWithURLRequest:imageSource.request
+      size:imageSource.size
+      scale:imageSource.scale
+      clipped:true
+      resizeMode:RCTResizeModeContain
+      progressBlock:^(int64_t progress, int64_t total) {
+      }
+      partialLoadBlock:^(UIImage *_Nonnull image) {
+      }
+      completionBlock:^(NSError *_Nullable error, UIImage *_Nullable image) {
+        if (RCTIsMainQueue()) {
+          completion(error, image);
+        } else {
+          dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
+            completion(error, image);
+          });
+        }
+      }];
+#endif
+}
+
 @end
diff --git a/ios/utils/extensions/RCTImageSource+AccessHiddenMembers.h b/ios/utils/extensions/RCTImageSource+AccessHiddenMembers.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6d4ad928d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ios/utils/extensions/RCTImageSource+AccessHiddenMembers.h
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#pragma once
+
+// This field should exist in extension in `RCTImageSource.m`
+
+@interface RCTImageSource (AccessHiddenMembers)
+
+@property (nonatomic, assign) BOOL packagerAsset;
+
+@end
diff --git a/react-navigation b/react-navigation
index 3d1e4effe8..782b6d4bb4 160000
--- a/react-navigation
+++ b/react-navigation
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 3d1e4effe82daba682df308556eaabb73052a45c
+Subproject commit 782b6d4bb43ab69c1d67447e9aa0bcfe46780056
diff --git a/src/gesture-handler/fabricUtils.ts b/src/gesture-handler/fabricUtils.ts
index 0a6f36a039..4f882b3ded 100644
--- a/src/gesture-handler/fabricUtils.ts
+++ b/src/gesture-handler/fabricUtils.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 'use strict';
 
-import { View } from "react-native";
+import { View } from 'react-native';
 
 /* eslint-disable */
 
@@ -24,11 +24,11 @@ export function getShadowNodeWrapperAndTagFromRef(ref: View | null): {
     return {
       shadowNodeWrapper: null,
       tag: -1,
-    }
+    };
   }
   const internalRef = ref as unknown as HostInstance;
   return {
     shadowNodeWrapper: internalRef.__internalInstanceHandle.stateNode.node,
     tag: internalRef.__nativeTag,
-  }
+  };
 }