Meta has introduced an innovative enhancement for Quest users, allowing ordinary Android applications to extend their functionality by opening additional windows alongside their main interface. This advancement comes courtesy of the new VR Layout SDK, which enables developers to maintain the flat design of their apps while integrating spatial windows that can coexist with other applications.
Developers keep their existing Android app and add windows around it
The VR Layout SDK is compatible with applications developed using Jetpack Compose or React Native. Notably, developers are not required to transition to the entity-component architecture of Meta’s Spatial SDK, which is reserved for fully immersive applications. However, it is important to note that the Layout SDK does not support the creation of 3D objects or alterations to the user’s environment; such features still necessitate the use of the Spatial SDK. Additionally, on Horizon OS versions prior to v207, the SDK defaults to a fallback layout without spatial windows.
Meta asks apps to show no more than two important side windows
In its best-practice guidelines, Meta advises developers to focus on a primary window accompanied by no more than two significant spatial windows at any given time. The system intelligently determines the optimal number of windows that can fit within the available space, which is inherently limited. Furthermore, spatial windows must have a solid background, as transparency is not permitted. Developers are encouraged to maintain consistent window size and positioning, opting to animate content within the windows rather than relocating the windows themselves. Testing layouts can be conducted using the Meta Spatial Simulator, although final adjustments should be verified on an actual headset.
A new design kit gives Android apps Quest’s look and touch-friendly controls
In conjunction with the layout tools, Meta has unveiled the VR UI Set SDK, a comprehensive design system for Jetpack Compose that features both dark and light color schemes, typography, icons, and standard controls such as buttons, sliders, and dialogs. This new toolkit replaces the Horizon OS UI Set within the Spatial SDK and ensures that all interactive elements maintain a minimum width of 48dp for optimal usability.
For developers, input remains straightforward. On the Quest, users can select items by looking and pinching, while the applications receive standard touch events. Importantly, Meta has clarified that gaze data is not shared with these applications. While the specific apps that will first implement these new window features have yet to be announced, this initiative aligns with Meta’s ongoing efforts to integrate familiar software into the headset ecosystem, following the release of its Immersive Web SDK 1.0 for WebXR aimed at Android developers in September.
