Overview

With ArborXR's app support, you can build and upload a library of apps and remotely install apps to devices.

When uploading app builds, you can:

Upload OBB files alongside each build.
Upload addressable files (or Unity AssetBundles) alongside each build and specify the exact installation directory for the bundled files. This eliminates the need for custom hosting servers and ensures that the correct assets are delivered seamlessly with every app version. When deployed via ArborXR, both the application and its dedicated content are installed together, guaranteeing an error-free experience before the app even launches.

Finally, you can integrate our CLI into your CI/CD tool to automate uploads.

💡 Are you using applications from the device's app store? See this help article for more information on using store-downloaded apps with ArborXR.

Hosting & storage

ArborXR offers the ability for customers to connect their own cloud storage bucket to isolate their content (apps & files) from other content on the platform. For more information about configuring and connecting a custom storage bucket, see this article.

Upload Apps

Navigate to Content Library in the side navigation menu.
Click the Add Content button.
Click Managed App.
Enter the title of your app.
Select the Device Compatibility (i.e., whether the app is built for Meta Quest 2, HTC VIVE Focus 3, etc.)

💡If the app is compatible with multiple device types, select all relevant device types from the dropdown menu.
Click Upload Build.
Drag and drop the APK or click Browse to select it from your PC's file system.
Toggle on Add bundled files with build (optional).
Click Select Files if you want to select individual files (such as an OBB) or click Select Folder to upload a folder of files.

💡 OBB files will be deployed to the app’s obb folder
Specify the base path for the files to be written to. For example, if you are uploading a folder of files that need to be written to your app's obb folder, specify Android/obb/<app package name>.

💡 While you can specify the exact installation directory for the bundled files, devices running Android 11 or higher may prevent ArborXR from installing files to other applications' internal storage (i.e. Android/data/{com.package.name}). In light of this, we recommend installing files to your app's OBB directory (i.e. Android/obb/{com.package.name}). Learn more.
Click Upload.
Enter release notes in the Release Notes text box (optional).
Click Upload.

💡You can optionally replace the app icon with a custom image after the fact by clicking on the camera icon.

Version management

ArborXR enforces Android's versioning requirements similar to those of app stores like the Meta Quest Store and the Google Play Store. This ensures that app data is retained between app updates.

⚠️ All new versions of an app must be uploaded to the existing app entry within the Apps page, rather than creating a new app entry for each new version.

For more information about ArborXR's version management functionality, including Android's versioning requirements, see our help article on Version Management.

Release Channels

Once you've uploaded at least one version of an app, a Release Channel will be created by default, pointing to the latest version of the app. The Release Channel is how your app will be deployed to your devices, groups, or shared with other organizations.

💡 Latest in this case refers to the version with the highest versionCode.

To learn more about Release Channels, read here.

Devices, Details & Sharing Tabs

Devices tab: Install apps to device groups or to ungrouped devices.
- For more information about device groups, see our articles in the Groups collection.
Details tab: Modify the Title and Description, assign Tags, and Add Platform compatibility.
- Title: The title of your app as it will be seen in VR.
- Description: The description entered in the Description input is user-facing within VR if leveraging ArborXR Home.
- Tags: Tags are a way for the dashboard and ArborXR Home users to filter content. For more information on how you can use this feature, check out our article on Tags.
- Add or Remove Compatibility: For example, if your app is developed for Quest devices, assign Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3S, and Meta Quest Pro compatibility. If you missed a compatibility, or accidentally assigned a compatibility, you can easily add or remove it here.
Sharing tab: Share the app with another organization via the Sharing tab.
For more information about sharing an app, see this help article.

FAQs & Troubleshooting

Can ArborXR download applications from a device’s app store?

Apps from app stores, such as the Meta Horizon Store or PICO Store, fall under the category of Unmanaged Apps. ArborXR does not have the capability to install applications from these stores on your behalf as the device manufacturers have not provided APIs or integration points in their app stores for Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions like ArborXR.

If you want to use ArborXR to remotely install an app from the app store to your fleet of devices, contact the app developer to find out if they share their app through ArborXR's App Sharing feature. It's easy for developers to get started and they can reach out to partnerships@arborxr.com for a free developer account!

What is the best practice if I have multiple versions for different device types (Meta, PICO, VIVE, etc)?

For each device type, create a separate app entry for each version, assigning the specific device model Platform Compatibility at the time of the app’s creation, or by adding other related devices (i.e. Quest 2, Quest 3, Quest Pro) under Content Library > Apps > Select your app > Details > Add Platform > Scroll to select or Search by name and select Platform > Save.

Content Library - Apps - Details - Add Platform.gif

I need to remove a device compatibility from one of my apps. How do I do that?

Navigate to the app in question then select the Details tab. Scroll down to Compatibility then, for any device you need to remove, click the X button located directly inside the platform tag.

I have multiple versions of my application. Can I install both on my device?

Android does not support installing multiple apps with the same package name. If your team has a production/dev scenario where you need specific devices to have specific builds of your team’s application, see our article on Release Channels.