Mar 31, 2023

Navigating Changes to Quest 1: Updated Guidance for Developers

NOTE: You can now specify a build to support Quest 1 with Device Targeting. Device Targeting gives you more flexibility to manage your apps across different Meta Quest devices, making it easier to manage your Quest 1 titles whether you need to discontinue support or deploy a hotfix.

Earlier this year we announced several changes coming to Quest 1 that may impact how you manage long term support for your apps and user communities. As an active and engaged part of the Meta Quest ecosystem, the Quest 1 community enjoys access to hundreds of high-quality games and apps. That’s why we encourage you to consider your organization’s goals, resources, audience, and other key factors before choosing a strategy for managing apps on Quest 1.

To provide you with the support and resources you need to strategically navigate this stage of Quest 1’s lifecycle, today we’re announcing that developers now have the ability to freeze Quest 1 builds and support separate app versions between Meta Quest devices. These features should provide you with more control and flexibility for supporting apps long term across current and future devices while allowing you to take advantage of new capabilities.

Below you’ll find additional guidance to help you manage long term support on Quest 1, including key requirements, resources, and recommendations to inform your strategy. Please refer to our blog post for a complete list of Quest 1 updates when forming your strategy.

Options for Managing Quest 1 App Support

With today’s update, you now have more options for managing app support across Meta Quest devices via your app manifest. We have a solution coming to the Developer Dashboard in a few months, but we understand that some developers may want to freeze their Quest 1 builds earlier than that, so we're providing this short-term, manifest-based solution.

Support your app on Quest 1 and all newer devices

Continue app support across all Meta Quest devices (current default). Below you can see what an app manifest looks like with this setting.

<meta-data android:name="com.oculus.supportedDevices" android:value="quest|quest2|questpro"/>

PLEASE NOTE: All apps using Platform SDK v51 or higher will not be supported on Quest 1. This means that builds using SDK v51 or higher will be unable to launch on Quest 1 devices–but don’t worry, new changes to the binary details page will inform you if your build includes SDK v51.

You can choose to include SDK v51 while supporting your apps on Quest 1 by freezing your Quest 1 build using the provided method below.

Support your app on Meta Quest 2 and newer devices

If you choose to only actively support your app on Meta Quest 2 and subsequent devices, you can do so by removing it from your app manifest:

<meta-data android:name="com.oculus.supportedDevices" android:value="quest2|questpro"/>

Removing Quest 1 from your app manifest will “freeze” your latest build on Quest 1. This option lets Quest 1 users enjoy your app and gives you the freedom to iterate with capabilities only available on newer devices. You can always add Quest 1 back into your app manifest if you need to apply an update or patch, but keep in mind that apps using SDK v51 or higher will not be supported on Quest 1 devices.

Guidance for Managing Quest 1 App Support

Developers aren’t required to take any action with regard to how they support apps on Quest 1; however, if you choose to freeze or end support for Quest 1 apps in such a way that users of your app will lose access to its content, or may no longer use essential services that it provides (for example: shuttering servers in an online network game), then you mustgive your users a minimum of 180 days’ prior written notice. This notice should include information such as the specific device(s) or platform(s) affected and the date of discontinuation to prevent confusion and provide a better overall experience for your app community.

Additionally, multiplayer services are only supported between users who have the same SDK version integrated into their apps. For example, an app on Quest 1 that’s integrated with v50 will not be able to support multiplayer with an app on Meta Quest 2 that’s integrated with v51. As such, we recommended providing Quest 1 users with advanced notice that multiplayer feature support may be limited between devices.

You can leverage your app’s product detail page (PDP) to inform prospective users about important information that may impact their experience. This can include app features only available on certain devices, a notice of future deprecation, or any information that users should know before deciding to purchase. To update app metadata like descriptions, check out our documentation.

For more information about App Policies, please visit the documentation.

Quest 1 was an innovative technological milestone, but it was the experiences you built that helped the community drive VR into the mainstream. We want to reiterate our thanks and support to you and the entire Quest 1 community for getting us where we are today. For more information about Quest 1 updates and managing Quest 1 support, visit the Quest 1 update blog post as well as the documentation linked throughout this post.

Platform SDK

Quest

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