Essentials

Panel sizing

Updated: Apr 6, 2026
When a 2D Android app runs on Meta Quest, it appears as a floating panel in the user’s virtual environment. Panel sizing controls how your app’s window is displayed — its default dimensions, whether users can resize it, and how it responds to different aspect ratios. Getting panel sizing right ensures your app looks polished and feels native on Horizon OS.

How panels work

Your Android app renders into a virtual panel that floats in the user’s space. The panel behaves like a window — it can be moved, resized, and positioned by the user. Horizon OS manages the panel’s placement relative to the user and other running apps.
By default, your app receives a standard panel size. You can customize this by declaring your preferred dimensions and resize behavior in your app manifest.

Key capabilities

  • Default panel size — Set the initial width and height of your app’s panel
  • Resize modes — Control whether users can resize freely, resize with a fixed aspect ratio, or not resize at all
  • Minimum and maximum dimensions — Set bounds on how small or large your panel can be
  • Aspect ratio locking — Maintain a specific aspect ratio during resize
  • Multi-panel — Launch additional panels for secondary views (settings, detail views, media players)

Design considerations

Panel apps on Quest share the virtual space with other apps, the passthrough environment, and system UI. Keep these factors in mind:
  • Readability at distance — Text and UI elements must be legible at typical VR viewing distances. Use larger fonts and higher contrast than you would on mobile.
  • Responsive layout — Support multiple panel sizes gracefully. Users may resize your panel, and your layout should adapt without breaking.
  • Touch and pointer input — Users interact with panels using a laser pointer from controllers or a pinch gesture from hand tracking, not direct touch. Ensure your hit targets are large enough for pointer accuracy.
  • Comfort — Panels that are too large force users to turn their head to see the edges. Default to a comfortable viewing size and let users scale up if they want.

Build path implementation guides

Design guidelines

For best practices on designing panel-based experiences:

Layout

Controls

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Virtual reality / Meta Horizon
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Virtual reality / Meta Horizon
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