UPDATE 11/5/2018: Previously, we required all package names to be globally unique when uploading their build for each device. Now, developers may share the same package name for builds on both Oculus Quest and Oculus Go.
With the
recent release of Oculus Go we have seen an increase in submissions to the Oculus Store. While some of these applications are brand new and designed with the Oculus Go's new software and hardware configuration in mind, many developers are continuing to port their existing Gear VR titles to Oculus Go.
To help ensure this process is as smooth as possible for those who are porting their applications, we would like to provide additional guidance and best practices to those developers who are currently engaged in porting or are considering porting their applications to Oculus Go in the near future.
The easiest method to find out if your application is compatible with Oculus Go is by uploading a build to the store channel through
a new submission flow that allows you to opt yourself out of support for Oculus Go if our internal system has flagged your build as not compatible with Oculus Go.
Uploading a new build that has removed this conflicting software or certain dependencies on hardware not present in Oculus Go is usually all it takes to satisfy this condition and provide an Oculus Go compatible build for the store.
If you have an existing Gear VR application that you are interested in porting to Oculus Go, there are two situations that you need to be aware of when getting ready to submit your application for store review.
The API Level of Your Application
Oculus Go shipped with an Android API level of 25. If you happen to upload a Go-compatible application to your release channel with a minimum API that is higher than this level, your application will not show up on Oculus Go devices. It is best to set your application at the lowest API it run on and we currently
recommend a minimum of API 21.
It is also possible to leave this field blank if your application has no specific requirements. Reducing your minimum API level allows your application to support more devices and can widen your user base.
If you believe this issue is currently causing your application to be incompatible with Oculus Go, view your application's “build details” in the developer dashboard and scroll to the very bottom to see which APIs your application is targeting. The image below demonstrates a Gear VR application with a minimum API level of 23, a build that is compatible with Oculus Go.
Compatibility check for Uploading to Release Channels
Release channels do not have a visual cue for flagging Oculus Go incompatible builds. You will need to check the test results section manually for any flags for GMS (Google Mobile Services) or references to speech API if they are detected in your Gear VR build.
The below image demonstrates an application that has been flagged for failing the Oculus Go compatibility test in the developer dashboard's release channel. The flow remains the same as the store channel: once a fresh binary has been uploaded with a new version number, the application will pass this check and become available to download from your My Preview Apps section on your device.
Important Notes and Next steps if You Encounter Issues
When modifying supported devices for your application, remember that this is a per binary configuration and must be set each time a new build is uploaded to your developer dashboard for your application to show as compatible and be available for download by devices you have flagged.
If you are having issues and are blocked from submitting your build to the store because of any issue, reach out to
developer support with your Gear VR application ID so we can provide you additional details on what Oculus Go incompatible content is being flagged in your APK.