Overview
Unmanaged apps are applications installed on devices outside of the ArborXR platform. ArborXR cannot directly install these apps on devices since the app files (.apk) are not uploaded to the platform during this process.
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.
While ArborXR cannot install apps from app stores, you can use the Unmanaged Apps feature to:
Display unmanaged apps in ArborXR Home: This allows end-users to launch unmanaged apps with a single click from the ArborXR Home interface.
Designate an unmanaged app as the kiosk app: In Kiosk Mode, you can set an unmanaged app to automatically launch when the headset is powered on.
💡 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 [email protected] for a free developer account!
Create Unmanaged Apps
Navigate to Content Library in the side navigation menu.
Click Add Content.
Select Unmanaged App.
This will open a modal where you will need to:
Enter the Title of the application.
Select the Platform Compatibility (i.e., whether the app is built for Pico Neo 2, HTC VIVE Focus Plus, etc.).
Enter the app's Package Name (i.e. Android's unique identifier for applications usually formatted
com.example.app).
💡 For Unmanaged Apps to appear in ArborXR Home, our system must be made aware of the unique identifier for the app in question. For Android applications, the unique identifier is the Package Name. Once our system is made aware of the unique identifier of the app in question, the Unmanaged App can be shown in ArborXR Home or auto-launched as the kiosk app. To identify the Unmanaged App's package name, refer to our running list of common package names or obtain the package name using this guide.
Click Add App.
Details Tab
Details tab: Modify the Title and Description, assign Tags, and Add Platform compatibility.
Title: The title of the unmanaged app as it will be seen in VR.
Package Name: Android's unique identifier for applications usually formatted
com.example.app.Description: The description entered in the Description input is user-facing within VR in ArborXR Home.
Tags: Tags provide a way for the dashboard and ArborXR Home users to filter content. For more information on how to use this feature, check out our article on Tags.
Add Platform: Add additional types of devices that can run this app. For example, if the unmanaged app is developed for Quest devices, assign Meta Quest 1, Meta Quest 2, and Meta Quest Pro compatibility.
Add Unmanaged App(s) to ArborXR Home or Kiosk Mode
ArborXR Home
Navigate to the individual ungrouped device or device group in question.
Select the Headset Experience tab.
Select ArborXR Home.
Under Included Apps, click on Unmanaged Apps to expand the section then select the managed apps that users should have access to within ArborXR Home.
Scroll down then click Apply Changes.
💡 Provided the selected unmanaged applications are installed on the device(s), either because they were pre-installed by the device's manufacturer or were downloaded from the device's app store, the applications will appear in ArborXR Home.
To learn more about configuring ArborXR Home, see this article.
Kiosk Mode
From the Devices & Groups section, navigate to the individual ungrouped device or device group.
Select the Headset Experience tab.
Select Kiosk Mode.
Under Kiosk App, click on Unmanaged Apps to expand the section then select an unmanaged app to designate it as the kiosk app.
Scroll down then click Apply Changes.
💡 Provided the selected unmanaged application is installed on the device(s), either because it was pre-installed by the device manufacturer or was downloaded from the device's app store, the application will automatically launch upon powering on the device.
To learn more about configuring Kiosk Mode, see this article.