Apr 15, 2025

New to the Meta Horizon Store from App Lab? Here are Tips for Overcoming 5 Key Challenges

Transitioning from App Lab to the Horizon Store has been a significant change for developers, offering both new opportunities and new challenges. In the months following the transition, we’ve paid close attention to better understand what you need to be successful on the Store.

Here’s what we’ve learned: One of the biggest hurdles developers like you face is dealing with additional requirements that didn’t apply to App Lab. In this post, we'll explore the top five issues we’ve seen developers encounter and provide actionable solutions to help you navigate these challenges successfully.

Understanding the Top Challenges

Creating a Product Details Page (PDP) for the Store: The information and assets you provide for your PDP make up your virtual storefront. To help create a high quality experience for our shared users, your screenshots, trailer, description, and other assets must meet certain criteria. These requirements didn’t apply to App Lab – so many developers are struggling to provide compliant metadata and assets.
Passing Meta's privacy policy review: Your privacy policy is the foundation of trust between you and your users. To that end, there are certain criteria your privacy policy must meet. Privacy policies have historically been a pain point for developers – and one of the most common failures for apps on the Store.
Meeting Meta's performance standards: Optimizing performance for VR apps is no small feat. However, it’s an essential part of giving users a great experience. Meeting Meta’s performance requirements is another longstanding issue for developers. Specifically, apps regularly fail to meet our required frame rate.
Building and maintaining a functional app: On App Lab, users were accustomed to exploring apps still under development. However, users visit the store with the expectation that any app they choose is fully developed and operational. Since the transition, developers have struggled to meet new functionality requirements.
Providing a compliant app website URL: Providing a website for your app might seem simple, but there are certain criteria both the site itself and the URL you provide must meet. The app website is required for your PDP – and as such, a new requirement for developers from App Lab.

Tips to Overcome These Challenges

Review what you provided for your PDP: The majority of issues we’re seeing with transitioned apps relate to the PDP. For developers like you, the details and graphics required for the PDP are entirely new. Use this guide to ensure your assets meet Meta’s requirements.

Tip: Make sure the app website and privacy policy links you provide are owned and managed by your organization, not a third party like Discord.

Get up to speed on the Virtual Reality Checks (VRCs) that didn’t apply to App Lab: This guide highlights the new VRCs your app must meet that were not required on App Lab. Make sure your app meets all required VRCs so you’re not surprised by a violation or failure.

Re-evaluate your privacy policy: We review privacy policies on an ongoing basis. Make sure your privacy policy is live, have a plan to monitor its status, and be sure it includes all required content. Use this guide or watch this video to learn how to meet Meta’s requirements in just 4 minutes.

Test for functionality and performance criteria. Play through your app and make sure you can progress through the app for at least 45 minutes without any crashes, bugs, or other blockers. To ensure your app meets Meta’s required frame rate, test using the OVR Metrics Tool or a similar tool before submitting your app for review.

Leveraging Available Resources

This year, we’ll be releasing new content to help developers better understand and pass Meta’s VRCs. Keep an eye out for new releases. In the meantime, take advantage of these resources:

Transitioning from App Lab to the Meta Horizon Store: Short Code (3 min) and guide
Preparing assets for your PDP: Short Code (2 min) and guide
Driving discoverability with Metadata: Short Code (2 min)

Looking for more? Check out our full library of educational content on the Meta Horizon Channel.

By following these tips and utilizing the available resources, you can avoid surprises and interruptions. Staying informed and proactive is key to a smooth transition and continued success on the Store.

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