diff --git a/packages/react-native/Libraries/ReactNative/ReactFabricPublicInstance/__tests__/setUpReactFabricPublicInstanceFantomTests.js b/packages/react-native/Libraries/ReactNative/ReactFabricPublicInstance/__tests__/setUpReactFabricPublicInstanceFantomTests.js
index 5fe719463ed..aaed636539a 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/Libraries/ReactNative/ReactFabricPublicInstance/__tests__/setUpReactFabricPublicInstanceFantomTests.js
+++ b/packages/react-native/Libraries/ReactNative/ReactFabricPublicInstance/__tests__/setUpReactFabricPublicInstanceFantomTests.js
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import '@react-native/fantom/src/setUpDefaultReactNativeEnvironment';
 import type {HostInstance} from 'react-native';
 
 import ReactNativeElement from '../../../../src/private/webapis/dom/nodes/ReactNativeElement';
+import {getRawNativeDOMForTests} from '../../../../src/private/webapis/dom/nodes/specs/NativeDOM';
 import TextInputState from '../../../Components/TextInput/TextInputState';
 import View from '../../../Components/View/View';
 import ReactFabricHostComponent from '../ReactFabricHostComponent';
@@ -395,6 +396,59 @@ export default function setUpTests({isModern}: {isModern: boolean}) {
             .toJSX(),
         ).toEqual(<rn-view testID={'second test id'} />);
       });
+
+      // TODO: delete when NativeDOM.setNativeProps is NOT nullable.
+      // This logic is to ensure compatibility with old app versions without the native module method.
+      if (isModern) {
+        let RawNativeDOM;
+        let originalSetNativeProps;
+
+        beforeAll(() => {
+          RawNativeDOM = nullthrows(getRawNativeDOMForTests());
+          originalSetNativeProps = RawNativeDOM.setNativeProps;
+        });
+
+        beforeEach(() => {
+          // $FlowExpectedError[cannot-write]
+          RawNativeDOM.setNativeProps = originalSetNativeProps;
+        });
+
+        it('should propagate changes to the host component (when NativeDOM.setNativeProps is not available)', () => {
+          // $FlowExpectedError[cannot-write]
+          RawNativeDOM.setNativeProps = null;
+
+          expect(RawNativeDOM.setNativeProps).toBeNull();
+
+          const root = Fantom.createRoot();
+          const nodeRef = React.createRef<HostInstance>();
+
+          Fantom.runTask(() => {
+            root.render(<View ref={nodeRef} testID="first test id" />);
+          });
+
+          expect(
+            root
+              .getRenderedOutput({
+                props: ['testID'],
+              })
+              .toJSX(),
+          ).toEqual(<rn-view testID={'first test id'} />);
+
+          const element = nullthrows(nodeRef.current);
+
+          Fantom.runTask(() => {
+            element.setNativeProps({testID: 'second test id'});
+          });
+
+          expect(
+            root
+              .getRenderedOutput({
+                props: ['testID'],
+              })
+              .toJSX(),
+          ).toEqual(<rn-view testID={'second test id'} />);
+        });
+      }
     });
   });
 }
diff --git a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/nativemodule/dom/NativeDOM.cpp b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/nativemodule/dom/NativeDOM.cpp
index ae976409e75..f45115b2e90 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/nativemodule/dom/NativeDOM.cpp
+++ b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/nativemodule/dom/NativeDOM.cpp
@@ -25,12 +25,15 @@ namespace facebook::react {
 
 #pragma mark - Private helpers
 
+static UIManager& getUIManagerFromRuntime(facebook::jsi::Runtime& runtime) {
+  return UIManagerBinding::getBinding(runtime)->getUIManager();
+}
+
 static RootShadowNode::Shared getCurrentShadowTreeRevision(
     facebook::jsi::Runtime& runtime,
     SurfaceId surfaceId) {
-  auto& uiManager =
-      facebook::react::UIManagerBinding::getBinding(runtime)->getUIManager();
-  auto shadowTreeRevisionProvider = uiManager.getShadowTreeRevisionProvider();
+  auto shadowTreeRevisionProvider =
+      getUIManagerFromRuntime(runtime).getShadowTreeRevisionProvider();
   return shadowTreeRevisionProvider->getCurrentRevision(surfaceId);
 }
 
@@ -459,4 +462,15 @@ void NativeDOM::measureLayout(
        jsi::Value{rt, rect.height}});
 }
 
+#pragma mark - Legacy direct manipulation APIs (for `ReactNativeElement`).
+
+void NativeDOM::setNativeProps(
+    jsi::Runtime& rt,
+    jsi::Value nativeElementReference,
+    jsi::Value updatePayload) {
+  getUIManagerFromRuntime(rt).setNativeProps_DEPRECATED(
+      shadowNodeFromValue(rt, nativeElementReference),
+      RawProps(rt, updatePayload));
+}
+
 } // namespace facebook::react
diff --git a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/nativemodule/dom/NativeDOM.h b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/nativemodule/dom/NativeDOM.h
index 268cd1ba85f..889a4ae527a 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/nativemodule/dom/NativeDOM.h
+++ b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/nativemodule/dom/NativeDOM.h
@@ -122,6 +122,13 @@ class NativeDOM : public NativeDOMCxxSpec<NativeDOM> {
       jsi::Value relativeToNativeElementReference,
       jsi::Function onFail,
       jsi::Function onSuccess);
+
+#pragma mark - Legacy direct manipulation APIs (for `ReactNativeElement`).
+
+  void setNativeProps(
+      jsi::Runtime& rt,
+      jsi::Value nativeElementReference,
+      jsi::Value updatePayload);
 };
 
 } // namespace facebook::react
diff --git a/packages/react-native/src/private/webapis/dom/nodes/ReactNativeElement.js b/packages/react-native/src/private/webapis/dom/nodes/ReactNativeElement.js
index 7cca0cc8009..2d28f9d7787 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/src/private/webapis/dom/nodes/ReactNativeElement.js
+++ b/packages/react-native/src/private/webapis/dom/nodes/ReactNativeElement.js
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 
 import type {
   InternalInstanceHandle,
-  Node as ShadowNode,
   ViewConfig,
 } from '../../../../../Libraries/Renderer/shims/ReactNativeTypes';
 import type {
@@ -26,7 +25,6 @@ import type {InstanceHandle} from './internals/NodeInternals';
 import type ReactNativeDocument from './ReactNativeDocument';
 
 import TextInputState from '../../../../../Libraries/Components/TextInput/TextInputState';
-import {getFabricUIManager} from '../../../../../Libraries/ReactNative/FabricUIManager';
 import {create as createAttributePayload} from '../../../../../Libraries/ReactNative/ReactFabricPublicInstance/ReactNativeAttributePayload';
 import warnForStyleProps from '../../../../../Libraries/ReactNative/ReactFabricPublicInstance/warnForStyleProps';
 import {
@@ -37,7 +35,6 @@ import {
 } from './internals/NodeInternals';
 import ReadOnlyElement, {getBoundingClientRect} from './ReadOnlyElement';
 import NativeDOM from './specs/NativeDOM';
-import nullthrows from 'nullthrows';
 
 const noop = () => {};
 
@@ -205,12 +202,7 @@ class ReactNativeElement extends ReadOnlyElement implements NativeMethods {
     const node = getNativeElementReference(this);
 
     if (node != null && updatePayload != null) {
-      // $FlowExpectedError[incompatible-type] This is an element instance so the native node reference is always a shadow node.
-      const shadowNode: ShadowNode = node;
-      nullthrows(getFabricUIManager()).setNativeProps(
-        shadowNode,
-        updatePayload,
-      );
+      NativeDOM.setNativeProps(node, updatePayload);
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/react-native/src/private/webapis/dom/nodes/specs/NativeDOM.js b/packages/react-native/src/private/webapis/dom/nodes/specs/NativeDOM.js
index 79b073f47ac..60e23b2efe9 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/src/private/webapis/dom/nodes/specs/NativeDOM.js
+++ b/packages/react-native/src/private/webapis/dom/nodes/specs/NativeDOM.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import type {Node as ShadowNode} from '../../../../../../Libraries/Renderer/shim
 import type {TurboModule} from '../../../../../../Libraries/TurboModule/RCTExport';
 import type {InstanceHandle} from '../internals/NodeInternals';
 
+import {getFabricUIManager} from '../../../../../../Libraries/ReactNative/FabricUIManager';
 import * as TurboModuleRegistry from '../../../../../../Libraries/TurboModule/TurboModuleRegistry';
 import nullthrows from 'nullthrows';
 
@@ -154,10 +155,23 @@ export interface Spec extends TurboModule {
     onFail: () => void,
     onSuccess: MeasureLayoutOnSuccessCallback,
   ) => void;
+
+  /**
+   * Legacy direct manipulation APIs (for `ReactNativeElement`).
+   */
+
+  +setNativeProps?: (
+    nativeElementReference: mixed,
+    updatePayload: mixed,
+  ) => void;
 }
 
 const RawNativeDOM = (TurboModuleRegistry.get<Spec>('NativeDOMCxx'): ?Spec);
 
+export function getRawNativeDOMForTests(): ?Spec {
+  return RawNativeDOM;
+}
+
 // This is the actual interface of this module, but the native module codegen
 // isn't expressive enough yet.
 export interface RefinedSpec {
@@ -408,6 +422,14 @@ export interface RefinedSpec {
     onFail: () => void,
     onSuccess: MeasureLayoutOnSuccessCallback,
   ) => void;
+
+  /**
+   * Legacy direct manipulation APIs
+   */
+  +setNativeProps: (
+    nativeElementReference: NativeElementReference,
+    updatePayload: {...},
+  ) => void;
 }
 
 const NativeDOM: RefinedSpec = {
@@ -574,6 +596,22 @@ const NativeDOM: RefinedSpec = {
       onSuccess,
     );
   },
+
+  /**
+   * Legacy direct manipulation APIs
+   */
+  setNativeProps(nativeNodeReference, updatePayload) {
+    // TODO: remove when RawNativeDOM.setNativeProps is NOT nullable.
+    if (RawNativeDOM?.setNativeProps == null) {
+      nullthrows(getFabricUIManager()).setNativeProps(
+        nativeNodeReference,
+        updatePayload,
+      );
+      return;
+    }
+
+    return RawNativeDOM.setNativeProps(nativeNodeReference, updatePayload);
+  },
 };
 
 export default NativeDOM;