Level up 2D and Web-based App Experiences

Following on the heels of Meta Connect, our platform is evolving with new opportunities for web and mobile developers to bring their apps to Horizon OS. Many of the best and most popular 2D Android apps are already giving Meta Quest users a fresh perspective on familiar experiences–from Netflix to Wordle to Amazon Prime—and we’re just getting started.

Today, we’re introducing new services and improvements that bring the necessary compatibility and platform-level support to run your apps. To unlock monetization for 2D Android-based apps and those using the Meta Spatial SDK, we are launching the Billing Compatibility SDK so developers can enable transactions for both in-app-purchases (IAP) and subscriptions. So if you have an existing Android app that is integrated with the Google Play Billing Library, you can now use the Meta Horizon Billing Compatibility SDK to port your app to the Meta Horizon Store with minimal changes.

We’re also excited to improve stability and performance with System WebView, a pre-installed system component that allows Android apps to display web content without opening a separate, full-browser instance. To improve page load time and browser efficiency, we also made significant updates to compiler optimizations. Lastly, we’re enabling better browser support for Native App OAuth 2.0 for better authentication and security.

Developers have already started leveraging spatial experiences that showcase capabilities with the Meta Spatial SDK and WebXR. Apps like Focus, GeoVoyage, RealMeasure, Media View, and Flap Frenzy are just a few of the developer apps that are taking advantage of spatial and bringing the magic of mixed reality to Horizon OS.

Horizon OS gives you the keys to unlock a collection of APIs and services for more success. The Billing Compatibility SDK provides straightforward access to capabilities such as in-app purchases and subscriptions so you can focus more time on designing great experiences. This brings monetization capabilities for all Android-based apps for 2D and Meta Spatial SDK experiences. If you have an existing Android app that is integrated with the Google Play Billing Library, you can now use the Meta Horizon Billing Compatibility SDK to port your app to the Meta Horizon Store with minimal changes. The SDK supports consumable, durable, and subscription in-app purchases (IAP) for 2D Apps and Meta Spatial SDK apps. This is not yet available for web-based experiences but is prioritized.

To get started with Billing Compatibility SDK, view the documentation.

Android System WebView is a pre-installed system component that allows Android apps to display web content without opening a separate, full-browser instance. With this new update, you will notice a significant improvement in stability, performance, and compatibility with web standards. You can also have peace of mind knowing that we’re making sure WebView is up-to-date and secure by integrating all vulnerability patches from the Chromium Project. We’ve also made significant updates to compiler optimizations that improve page load time and browser efficiency. This means that you can expect a little more breathing room in CPU headspace when embedding a WebView. We remain committed to ensuring that developers can take advantage of the open web when developing their apps for Meta Horizon OS.

Additionally, we launched support for OAuth 2.0, so you can now use your favorite authentication to easily authorize user identities with any provider that utilizes a private-use URI scheme. With this new level of authentication support, you can ensure user identification security and safety. See here for more details.

Building and spatializing 2D apps for Meta Horizon OS doesn’t require extensive XR knowledge. Established developers are already achieving faster collaboration, prototyping, and integration with Spatial SDK’s intuitive tooling and streamlined workflow.

Before you start your next project, check out Spatial SDK showcases to get inspired and find best practices on spatializing apps for different use cases.

Built by The Electric Factory, Focus demonstrates how to develop a productivity app by managing interactive elements like virtual objects and panels within various environments. Since the code is open-source, you can use this project as a practical template to create spatial objects, store multiple room configurations, spawn objects relative to a user’s position, create interactive panels, and more.

Try Focus out for yourself by downloading it from the Meta Horizon Store, or download its project files from GitHub. To learn more, visit the documentation.

Built by Pixel and Texel, Geo Voyage demonstrates how you can enhance mixed reality learning experiences with Spatial SDK using virtual objects, virtual environments, and AI models like Llama 3. After diving into the developer guidelines, you’ll understand the process of integrating Llama 3 with tools like Wit.AI and Amazon Bedrock to deploy an AI learning agent that enhances the user experience. You’ll also learn how to integrate panels with virtual objects using a Custom Entity Component System, and how to use real-world data from Google Maps API to transport users from a pin on a virtual object to a fully immersive view of the real world.

Try out Geo Voyage today by downloading it from the Meta Horizon Store, or dive into the project files on GitHub. To find developer guidelines on replicating the key functionality listed above, visit the documentation.

Built by L+R, Media View demonstrates how you can use Spatial SDK to build a spatialized media viewing app. By learning the concepts and code required to display and organize media content, you can leverage Meta Quest’s unique features to take full advantage of the space around users and display panoramic or 360° content. You can replicate Media View’s functionality to provide users with an enhanced viewing experience that encompasses users’ entire space and goes beyond what’s capable on mobile or desktop—including displaying various content formats simultaneously in the same space.

You can experience Media View by downloading it from the Meta Quest Store, or dive into its project files on GitHub. To learn more about specific functionality, visit the documentation.

To help you get started with Spatial SDK, we’ve launched a series of tutorial videos that walk you through essential steps in building your first Spatial SDK app, integrating Spatial SDK into an existing Android app, and using custom components to build apps with Spatial SDK.

WebXR also presents an opportunity to create immersive and mixed reality experiences. We’ve bolstered our WebXR documentation to help you learn about the WebXR developer workflow, optimizing WebXR app performance using cutting-edge tools, and how to take your first steps with WebXR using a two-hour tutorial designed for new developers.

Our documentation also contains several more sample projects that you can explore to help turn your ideas into virtual experiences.

RealMeasure is a mixed reality tool that lets users take real-life measurements in-headset using their controllers, demonstrating the potential to build engaging and intuitive mixed reality experiences with real-world applications.

Flap Frenzy is an immersive WebXR mini game in which players navigate their character through a series of shrinking target rings by physically flapping their arms and adopting different poses. This project demonstrates how you can combine web technologies with game design patterns to create engaging immersive experiences for web.

Sneaker Builder is an interactive mixed reality experience where users can hold, inspect, customize, and check the sizes when shopping for sneakers virtually in their physical environment. This project demonstrates how WebXR can revolutionize e-commerce, allowing customers to interact with products in a whole new way.

Whether you’re looking to port existing mobile apps to Meta Horizon OS as 2D panels or develop new immersive applications with Meta Spatial SDK, this pilot program is designed to streamline your development process and welcome you into the Meta Horizon Start community. Program members have access to prioritized technical support, exclusive educational programming, and opportunities to participate in funded initiatives like the Meta Horizon Start Lifestyle RFP, which is accepting applications from VR, mixed reality, and 2D developers through November 29. Learn more about the pilot program and apply today.

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