Requiring Minimum OS Versions
Updated: Sep 22, 2026
Applications may require a minimum version of the Horizon Operating System (Horizon OS) to launch. This restriction can be added:
- Implicitly, by using a feature available only in a newer Horizon OS version. For example, if your application supports Quest 3, it requires a minimum Horizon OS version of v56, the first version that supports Quest 3.
- Explicitly, by defining a minimum Horizon OS version in your app’s
uses-metavr-sdk manifest element. This is useful if your app has implicit dependencies on a specific Horizon OS version, such as attempting to launch a system package with an intent supported only in a newer Horizon OS version, or for multiplayer applications that want to ensure all players have the latest security updates.
Determining the Horizon OS versions used by your app’s users
Your app can also determine the Horizon OS version of the currently running device by calling the following code in a Java plugin built with your app:
Context context = getApplicationContext();
PackageManager pm = context.getPackageManager();
try {
return pm.getPackageInfo("com.oculus.systemdriver", PackageManager.GET_META_DATA).versionName;
} catch (Exception e) { return e.toString(); }
Requiring a minimum Horizon OS version to use your app
To explicitly define a minimum Horizon OS version, add the following line to your AndroidManifest.xml file, as a child of your root <manifest> element. Replace [version] with your preferred Horizon OS version number, such as “83” or “205”.
<metavr:uses-metavr-sdk metavr:minSdkVersion="[version]" metavr:targetSdkVersion="[version]" />
Some settings and features in your app implicitly require a minimum Horizon OS version. For example:
When multiple features apply, your app requires the highest minimum Horizon OS version among all relevant features. For example:
- Using multiple Platform SDK APIs that were introduced in different Horizon OS versions requires the highest version among them.
When you declare a minSdkVersion:
- The Meta Horizon Store will only show your app to users on compatible devices
- Users on older devices won’t be able to install or update to this version
- You can safely call the APIs without error handling for version compatibility
Checking the minimum Horizon OS version for your app
The Developer Dashboard shows the reason it selected a specific Minimum OS version for your app as shown in the following screenshots.