It is a common development practice to manage the asset files of an application separately from the .apk itself as this allows for greater flexibility, efficiency, and scalability in the development and maintenance of Android applications. Typically, these asset files are installed to Android/data/{com.package.name}, which is the location of the application's internal storage.

This development practice is supported by ArborXR as users can upload asset files to ArborXR separately from the .apk and then install these asset files to a specific location on the device.

However, since the release of Android 11, Android has restricted 3rd party applications, including ArborXR and any other MDM, from installing files to other applications' internal storage (i.e. Android/data/{com.package.name}) and will have unauthorized access. You will encounter an 'UnauthorizedAccess' error when deploying an app to a device running Android 11 or newer.

Currently, the device models impacted by this are the Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest Pro, Lenovo VRX, and Android tablets as these devices are on Android 12 (or later). Even if you do not use Meta Quest, Lenovo VRX, or Android tablets in your deployment, it is strongly recommended to prepare for a future where access to Android/data/{com.package.name} is restricted as it is only a matter of time before PICO, HTC, Magic Leap, and other OEMs update their operating system to Android 12+.

Bundle asset files into a .obb file then upload the .obb file to ArborXR alongside your .apk. For more information about managing .obb files with ArborXR, see this help article.