diff --git a/fixtures/view-transition/src/components/Page.js b/fixtures/view-transition/src/components/Page.js
index e51beeec0df9f..d7b57c511092b 100644
--- a/fixtures/view-transition/src/components/Page.js
+++ b/fixtures/view-transition/src/components/Page.js
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ const b = (
 function Component() {
   return (
     <ViewTransition
-      className={
+      default={
         transitions['enter-slide-right'] + ' ' + transitions['exit-slide-left']
       }>
       <p className="roboto-font">Slide In from Left, Slide Out to Right</p>
@@ -97,17 +97,17 @@ export default function Page({url, navigate}) {
           }}>
           {url === '/?b' ? 'Goto A' : 'Goto B'}
         </button>
-        <ViewTransition className="none">
+        <ViewTransition default="none">
           <div>
             <ViewTransition>
               <div>
-                <ViewTransition className={transitions['slide-on-nav']}>
+                <ViewTransition default={transitions['slide-on-nav']}>
                   <h1>{!show ? 'A' : 'B' + counter}</h1>
                 </ViewTransition>
               </div>
             </ViewTransition>
             <ViewTransition
-              className={{
+              default={{
                 'navigation-back': transitions['slide-right'],
                 'navigation-forward': transitions['slide-left'],
               }}>
diff --git a/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberApplyGesture.js b/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberApplyGesture.js
index 42682e60c4e41..ee44233b8f8d2 100644
--- a/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberApplyGesture.js
+++ b/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberApplyGesture.js
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ function trackDeletedPairViewTransitions(deletion: Fiber): void {
             // and can stop searching (size reaches zero).
             pairs.delete(name);
             const className: ?string = getViewTransitionClassName(
-              props.className,
+              props.default,
               props.share,
             );
             if (className !== 'none') {
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ function trackEnterViewTransitions(deletion: Fiber): void {
         ? appearingViewTransitions.get(name)
         : undefined;
     const className: ?string = getViewTransitionClassName(
-      props.className,
+      props.default,
       pair !== undefined ? props.share : props.enter,
     );
     if (className !== 'none') {
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ function applyAppearingPairViewTransition(child: Fiber): void {
       // Note that this class name that doesn't actually really matter because the
       // "new" side will be the one that wins in practice.
       const className: ?string = getViewTransitionClassName(
-        props.className,
+        props.default,
         props.share,
       );
       if (className !== 'none') {
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ function applyExitViewTransition(placement: Fiber): void {
   const props: ViewTransitionProps = placement.memoizedProps;
   const name = getViewTransitionName(props, state);
   const className: ?string = getViewTransitionClassName(
-    props.className,
+    props.default,
     // Note that just because we don't have a pair yet doesn't mean we won't find one
     // later. However, that doesn't matter because if we do the class name that wins
     // is the one applied by the "new" side anyway.
@@ -307,7 +307,7 @@ function applyNestedViewTransition(child: Fiber): void {
   const props: ViewTransitionProps = child.memoizedProps;
   const name = getViewTransitionName(props, state);
   const className: ?string = getViewTransitionClassName(
-    props.className,
+    props.default,
     props.update,
   );
   if (className !== 'none') {
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ function applyUpdateViewTransition(current: Fiber, finishedWork: Fiber): void {
   // want the props from "current" since that's the class that would've won if
   // it was the normal direction. To preserve the same effect in either direction.
   const className: ?string = getViewTransitionClassName(
-    newProps.className,
+    newProps.default,
     newProps.update,
   );
   if (className === 'none') {
diff --git a/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberBeginWork.js b/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberBeginWork.js
index a5ff0d1757791..aa53e06ee68c4 100644
--- a/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberBeginWork.js
+++ b/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberBeginWork.js
@@ -322,6 +322,7 @@ export let didWarnAboutReassigningProps: boolean;
 let didWarnAboutRevealOrder;
 let didWarnAboutTailOptions;
 let didWarnAboutDefaultPropsOnFunctionComponent;
+let didWarnAboutClassNameOnViewTransition;
 
 if (__DEV__) {
   didWarnAboutBadClass = ({}: {[string]: boolean});
@@ -332,6 +333,7 @@ if (__DEV__) {
   didWarnAboutRevealOrder = ({}: {[empty]: boolean});
   didWarnAboutTailOptions = ({}: {[string]: boolean});
   didWarnAboutDefaultPropsOnFunctionComponent = ({}: {[string]: boolean});
+  didWarnAboutClassNameOnViewTransition = ({}: {[string]: boolean});
 }
 
 export function reconcileChildren(
@@ -3295,6 +3297,25 @@ function updateViewTransition(
       pushMaterializedTreeId(workInProgress);
     }
   }
+  if (__DEV__) {
+    // $FlowFixMe[prop-missing]
+    if (pendingProps.className !== undefined) {
+      const example =
+        typeof pendingProps.className === 'string'
+          ? JSON.stringify(pendingProps.className)
+          : '{...}';
+      if (!didWarnAboutClassNameOnViewTransition[example]) {
+        didWarnAboutClassNameOnViewTransition[example] = true;
+        console.error(
+          '<ViewTransition> doesn\'t accept a "className" prop. It has been renamed to "default".\n' +
+            '-   <ViewTransition className=%s>\n' +
+            '+   <ViewTransition default=%s>',
+          example,
+          example,
+        );
+      }
+    }
+  }
   if (current !== null && current.memoizedProps.name !== pendingProps.name) {
     // If the name changes, we schedule a ref effect to create a new ref instance.
     workInProgress.flags |= Ref | RefStatic;
diff --git a/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberCommitViewTransitions.js b/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberCommitViewTransitions.js
index 2ebebc4e752f0..36948d7fd778d 100644
--- a/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberCommitViewTransitions.js
+++ b/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberCommitViewTransitions.js
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ function commitAppearingPairViewTransitions(placement: Fiber): void {
           }
           const name = props.name;
           const className: ?string = getViewTransitionClassName(
-            props.className,
+            props.default,
             props.share,
           );
           if (className !== 'none') {
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ export function commitEnterViewTransitions(
     const props: ViewTransitionProps = placement.memoizedProps;
     const name = getViewTransitionName(props, state);
     const className: ?string = getViewTransitionClassName(
-      props.className,
+      props.default,
       state.paired ? props.share : props.enter,
     );
     if (className !== 'none') {
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ function commitDeletedPairViewTransitions(deletion: Fiber): void {
           const pair = pairs.get(name);
           if (pair !== undefined) {
             const className: ?string = getViewTransitionClassName(
-              props.className,
+              props.default,
               props.share,
             );
             if (className !== 'none') {
@@ -389,7 +389,7 @@ export function commitExitViewTransitions(deletion: Fiber): void {
         ? appearingViewTransitions.get(name)
         : undefined;
     const className: ?string = getViewTransitionClassName(
-      props.className,
+      props.default,
       pair !== undefined ? props.share : props.exit,
     );
     if (className !== 'none') {
@@ -470,7 +470,7 @@ export function commitBeforeUpdateViewTransition(
   // a layout only change, then the "foo" class will be applied even though
   // it was not actually an update. Which is a bug.
   const className: ?string = getViewTransitionClassName(
-    newProps.className,
+    newProps.default,
     newProps.update,
   );
   if (className === 'none') {
@@ -495,7 +495,7 @@ export function commitNestedViewTransitions(changedParent: Fiber): void {
       const props: ViewTransitionProps = child.memoizedProps;
       const name = getViewTransitionName(props, child.stateNode);
       const className: ?string = getViewTransitionClassName(
-        props.className,
+        props.default,
         props.update,
       );
       if (className !== 'none') {
@@ -735,7 +735,7 @@ export function measureUpdateViewTransition(
   const oldName = getViewTransitionName(oldFiber.memoizedProps, state);
   // Whether it ends up having been updated or relayout we apply the update class name.
   const className: ?string = getViewTransitionClassName(
-    props.className,
+    props.default,
     props.update,
   );
   if (className === 'none') {
@@ -787,7 +787,7 @@ export function measureNestedViewTransitions(
       const state: ViewTransitionState = child.stateNode;
       const name = getViewTransitionName(props, state);
       const className: ?string = getViewTransitionClassName(
-        props.className,
+        props.default,
         props.update,
       );
       let previousMeasurements: null | Array<InstanceMeasurement>;
diff --git a/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberViewTransitionComponent.js b/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberViewTransitionComponent.js
index 3b5bede1a7fa9..659029fb6b041 100644
--- a/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberViewTransitionComponent.js
+++ b/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberViewTransitionComponent.js
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ export type ViewTransitionClass = 'none' | string | ViewTransitionClassPerType;
 export type ViewTransitionProps = {
   name?: string,
   children?: ReactNodeList,
-  className?: ViewTransitionClass,
+  default?: ViewTransitionClass,
   enter?: ViewTransitionClass,
   exit?: ViewTransitionClass,
   share?: ViewTransitionClass,
@@ -129,11 +129,5 @@ export function getViewTransitionClassName(
   if (eventClassName == null) {
     return className;
   }
-  if (eventClassName === 'none') {
-    return eventClassName;
-  }
-  if (className != null && className !== 'none') {
-    return className + ' ' + eventClassName;
-  }
   return eventClassName;
 }