diff --git a/android/src/main/java/com/rive/RiveReactNativeView.kt b/android/src/main/java/com/rive/RiveReactNativeView.kt
index 6bd9d89a..7753d936 100644
--- a/android/src/main/java/com/rive/RiveReactNativeView.kt
+++ b/android/src/main/java/com/rive/RiveReactNativeView.kt
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ class RiveReactNativeView(context: ThemedReactContext) : FrameLayout(context) {
     if (reload) {
       val hasDataBinding = when (config.bindData) {
         is BindData.None -> false
-        is BindData.Auto -> config.riveFile.viewModelCount > 0
+        is BindData.Auto -> false
         is BindData.Instance, is BindData.ByName -> true
       }
       riveAnimationView?.setRiveFile(
diff --git a/example/__tests__/autoplay.harness.tsx b/example/__tests__/autoplay.harness.tsx
index 1583a646..e8323b99 100644
--- a/example/__tests__/autoplay.harness.tsx
+++ b/example/__tests__/autoplay.harness.tsx
@@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ import type { ViewModelInstance } from '@rive-app/react-native';
 // Source: https://rive.app/community/files/25997-48571-demo-for-tracking-rive-property-in-react-native/
 const BOUNCING_BALL = require('../assets/rive/bouncing_ball.riv');
 
+// Simple animation with ViewModels defined but no default ViewModel assigned to the artboard
+// Source: https://rive.app/community/files/27026-50856-no-default-vm-for-artboard/
+const NO_DEFAULT_VM = require('../assets/rive/nodefaultbouncing.riv');
+
 function expectDefined<T>(value: T): asserts value is NonNullable<T> {
   expect(value).toBeDefined();
 }
@@ -264,3 +268,78 @@ describe('autoPlay prop (issue #138)', () => {
     cleanup();
   });
 });
+
+describe('Auto dataBind with no default ViewModel (issue #189)', () => {
+  it('auto-binds default ViewModel when one exists', async () => {
+    const file = await RiveFileFactory.fromSource(BOUNCING_BALL, undefined);
+
+    const context: TestContext = { ref: null, error: null };
+    await render(
+      <View style={{ width: 200, height: 200 }}>
+        <RiveView
+          hybridRef={{
+            f: (ref: RiveViewRef | null) => {
+              context.ref = ref;
+            },
+          }}
+          style={{ flex: 1 }}
+          file={file}
+          autoPlay={true}
+          fit={Fit.Contain}
+          onError={(e) => {
+            context.error = e.message;
+          }}
+        />
+      </View>
+    );
+
+    await waitFor(
+      () => {
+        expect(context.ref).not.toBeNull();
+      },
+      { timeout: 5000 }
+    );
+
+    expect(context.error).toBeNull();
+
+    const vmi = context.ref!.getViewModelInstance();
+    expect(vmi).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(vmi!.numberProperty('ypos')).toBeDefined();
+
+    cleanup();
+  });
+
+  it('plays without error when file has ViewModels but no artboard default', async () => {
+    const file = await RiveFileFactory.fromSource(NO_DEFAULT_VM, undefined);
+
+    const context: TestContext = { ref: null, error: null };
+    await render(
+      <View style={{ width: 200, height: 200 }}>
+        <RiveView
+          hybridRef={{
+            f: (ref: RiveViewRef | null) => {
+              context.ref = ref;
+            },
+          }}
+          style={{ flex: 1 }}
+          file={file}
+          autoPlay={true}
+          fit={Fit.Contain}
+          onError={(e) => {
+            context.error = e.message;
+          }}
+        />
+      </View>
+    );
+
+    await waitFor(
+      () => {
+        expect(context.ref).not.toBeNull();
+      },
+      { timeout: 5000 }
+    );
+
+    expect(context.error).toBeNull();
+    cleanup();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/example/assets/rive/nodefaultbouncing.riv b/example/assets/rive/nodefaultbouncing.riv
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b9772788
Binary files /dev/null and b/example/assets/rive/nodefaultbouncing.riv differ