Developers can choose to share and promote their app URL in any way they like - the URL presents users with basic info on the app and they can then add it to their library. Instead, each App Lab app has its own direct URL listing. App Lab is a service for developers to distribute content for users to install, but there’s no official way to browse a database of all App Lab content in one place. Whether you’re browsing online, on your phone or in headset, you can see the see the entire catalog of Meta-approved content in the Oculus Store, all in one place.Īpp Lab doesn’t work this way - there’s no there’s no official centralized listing of every App Lab app available. Much like other platforms, the Oculus Store operates as a virtual storefront that you can browse, with everything visible in one place.

How App Lab WorksĪpp Lab content works a little differently to Oculus Store content. In fact, SideQuest can now be used as a directory for App Lab apps - more on that below. However, App Lab is Meta’s official solution for doing so, with a much easier installation process for apps and much less finicky setup process.Īpp Lab is not replacing other sideloaded content, nor does it mark the death knell for SideQuest. How is App Lab different to sideloading?Īpp Lab and sideloading are similar in that both of them provide a way to install non-store content on your Quest. Here’s how to install App Lab apps on Oculus Quest and Meta Quest 2.

App Lab apps can be free or paid, with multiple easy installation options. That being said, Meta doesn’t curate App Lab content quite as strictly, so the quality can vary - App Lab content is sometimes still a work-in-progress, unstable or of generally lower quality than official store content.

Quest users and developers can use App Lab as an easy way to distribute and install experimental VR content from outside the Oculus Store. However, App Lab gives Quest users and developers an alternate non-Store avenue for Quest content. The Oculus Store is the official avenue for discovering and installing apps on your headset, with developers submitting pitches to Meta to have their content available on the store. Since launch, the Quest platform has operated much like a console, with a strict curation policy. Meta (formerly Facebook) introduced App Lab in 2021 - a new method of app distribution, allowing you to easily install non-Oculus Store games and apps onto your Oculus Quest and Meta Quest 2 (formerly Oculus Quest 2) headset.

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