Horizon Transition Update March 2026
Earlier this year, we shared an update on our renewed focus for VR and Horizon. We are separating the two platforms so each can grow with greater focus, and the Horizon Worlds platform will become a mobile-only experience. This separation will extend across our ecosystem, including our mobile app. To support this vision, we are making the following changes to streamline your Quest experience throughout 2026. Effective End of March 2026 Meta Horizon Worlds: Horizon Worlds and Events will no longer appear in the Store on Quest, and Horizon Central and Events Arena will be removed. Players will still be able to access worlds in VR until June 15, 2026, after which, the Horizon Worlds app will be removed from Quest, and Worlds will no longer be available in VR and will instead be available only through the Meta Horizon mobile app. Meta Horizon Plus (MH+) Perks: Horizon-specific perks, including Meta Credits, Digital Clothing, Avatars, and In-World Purchases will be removed from the subscription. Core MH+ gaming benefits and monthly games will not be affected by this change. Meta Horizon Hyperscape Capture (Beta): Hyperscape Capture is moving out of Horizon Worlds. Existing captures will remain viewable within the Capture app, which is available in the Quest app library. Players can continue capturing new Hyperscapes, but social features such as sharing, inviting, and co-experiencing Hyperscapes with others, will no longer be supported. What This Means For You Standalone VR apps for Quest will not be impacted by this change. Consistent with our announcement back in February, both platforms will receive long-term, dedicated investment. We’re focused on building something sustainable and enhancing the ways in which we support developers and creators for years to come. How to Build for VR For those of you who are new to VR development or just looking for a refresher, we have a plethora of resources available to help you on your journey: VR 101: Getting Started with VR – Join our team of experts in this series as they guide you through the fundamentals of VR development. Follow along with this step-by-step guide including sample assets to learn how to set up your first project in Unity using Meta’s SDKs. Onboarding Resources – Ready to start building your first app in VR? Our Onboarding Resources guide is designed to provide you with a solid foundation for your project, no matter your tech stack. Meta Horizon Start – Join a thriving community of VR developers in the Meta Horizon Start program to access hands-on support, weekly workshops led by Meta and our team of Start Mentors, and exclusive resources to kick start your development journey. For any questions, reach out to Developer Support or through the Developer Forums. We will be sharing technical migration guidance in developer documentation updates.192Views1like0CommentsA new strategy for Meta Horizon in 2026
This year, we’re making significant changes to how we approach the Meta Horizon ecosystem, and we want to share what that means for developers. Based on feedback from our developer and creator communities, we’re evolving VR and Worlds into two distinct platforms, each with its own focused strategy and dedicated resources. You can read more in the full post by Samantha Ryan, our VP of Content for Reality Labs. A quick look at what’s changing VR and Worlds are becoming two separate platforms with distinct strategies. VR is focused on third-party apps and games. We’re updating the Meta Horizon Store so developers’ VR content takes center stage. Better discovery and monetization tools are coming to help you reach players and grow revenue. Worlds is shifting to a mobile-first strategy. Why we’re making this change Developers and creators share one ecosystem, but they have fundamentally different needs, tools, and paths to success. By separating VR apps and worlds, we can provide clearer direction and more tailored support for each community long-term. Our commitment Meta Quest is the biggest player in the VR space, and third-party developers are the center of our VR strategy. As we move forward, both platforms will receive long-term, dedicated investment. We’re focused on building something sustainable and enhancing the ways in which we support developers and creators for years to come. Thank you for your continued feedback and for building with us. We’re excited about what’s ahead and look forward to sharing more soon. Read the full announcement here.399Views2likes0Comments30-day Reminder: Android 14 Targeting Required Starting March 1
Hey everyone! This is a friendly reminder that starting March 1, 2026, all new binary uploads for new or existing Meta Horizon apps must target Android 14 (API level 34). What this means for you: Set your targetSdkVersion to API level 34 Your minSdkVersion can remain at API level 32 Existing published apps will continue to work without changes New binary uploads after March 1 will require the updated targetSdkVersion Why we're making this change: This requirement allows us to take advantage of security improvements in the newer API and improve the health of our platform. What’s next: We recommend updating your projects now to ensure a smooth upload process after the deadline (March 1). Step-by-step instructions on how to update your API version can be found here. You can also update your API version automatically if you use the Project Setup Tool in Unity or Unreal with the Meta XR SDKs. For more information, read the full announcement here. Thank you for building for Meta Quest!145Views1like0CommentsHorizon Feed being replaced by Navigator starting in v85
As announced during Connect, we’ve been testing Navigator and will ramp up the rollout later this year, starting in v85. As Navigator rolls out, we’ll also begin gradually sunsetting the Horizon Feed in VR. What’s changing Navigator will become the default landing experience when users turn on their headset. Navigator brings experiences, friends and settings together in one place. As part of this shift, we’ll be sunsetting the Horizon Feed in VR. How Navigator improves the user experience Navigator is designed based on feedback from developers and users to make it faster and easier to jump into the experiences people love: All-in-one access: Quickly access experiences, friends, and settings from a single place. Faster return to apps: The App Library is front-and-center on cold boot, making it easy to jump back into pinned and recent apps. Streamlined discovery: The Store is pinned at the top for quick access to new apps, helping users discover something new with less friction. More seamless exploration: Overall navigation is simplified to improve the end-to-end user journey in VR. What the removal of Horizon Feed in VR means for developers The Horizon Feed in VR is not a high-intent surface, and users often see it without a specific intent to browse or purchase apps. Because of that, it historically has not driven strong entitlement conversion, and we don’t expect significant revenue impact for the vast majority of developers. With this rollout, we will monitor for any impact to developer revenue and engagement and continue partnering with developers on ways to surface apps to users effectively in the new experience. Our previous guidance on driving app discovery still applies. We recommend reviewing the latest best practices here. New Navigator assets We’ll be introducing new Navigator-specific creative assets in the future. Apps in the Library have a foreground and a background to enable spatialization of the foreground when the user is hovering over the app tile. You don’t need to take action right now. These assets will be optional at first and will be submitted alongside your app’s metadata. Be sure to refer to our Meta Horizon Store asset design guidelines for the most up to date best practices. The Navigator will utilize your existing Cover Square asset as the spatialized foreground element on hover today. Thank you for continuing to build for Meta Quest. We’re excited about how Navigator will help users find, return to, and enjoy your experiences.5.9KViews5likes0Comments🚀 Congratulations to the 32 Winners of the Meta Horizon Start Developer Competition!
🥁 Drumroll, please! 🥁 A huge congratulations to our talented developers who participated in the Meta Horizon Start Developer Competition! With over 650 projects submitted by more than 2,900 developers and their teams, we were truly inspired by the innovation, creativity, and technical excellence on display. We are thrilled to announce the 32 winners who stood out among an incredible field of submissions! Your dedication, collaboration, and passion for building on Meta Horizon OS have set a new standard for our developer community. Every participant should be proud of their achievements—your work highlights the momentum and growth of our ecosystem. 📣 See the Winners & Celebrate Community Impact Explore the full list of winners and learn more about their projects here: Meta Horizon Start Developer Competition Winners 🏆 Prize Payouts & Next Steps We are partnering with Enteractive Solutions Group (ESG) to manage prize payouts for the winning teams. If you are a winning project owner, ESG will contact you within two weeks with details about your prize. Please keep an eye on your inbox—and check your junk/spam folder—for emails from enteractivesolutions.com. We hope you continue building and innovating for Meta Horizon OS. The Start program is here to support your journey—offering mentorship, technical resources, and a vibrant community to help you push the boundaries of immersive experiences. Thank you for making this competition a showcase of developer talent and community spirit. We look forward to seeing what you build next! The Meta Horizon Start Program Team152Views1like0CommentsDecember Code Freeze Announcement
DECEMBER CODE FREEZE & STAFFING UPDATE Hi Developers, With the end-of-year holidays approaching, here are a few important reminders for our community. During the holidays, staffing will be limited so response times may be slower than usual. Our community and support teams will be on call, however engineering support will be reduced from December 18th through January 2nd. Only critical, platform-breaking bugs will be addressed during this time. Store Submissions & Approval Timelines Please note that reviews will be slower than usual due to limited staffing during the holidays. To ensure your app updates, new submissions, or asset refreshes are reviewed before the end of the year, submit as soon as possible. The submission and review process will resume as normal on January 5, 2026. How to Get Support Please use the designated support channels for all issues. Refrain from direct messaging or tagging Meta employees or mentors to ensure efficient support. Holiday Engagement Resource During the holiday season, users are spending more time and money across Meta Horizon. To help you capture more engagement, we put together ways to make the most of the holiday trends, including a checklist of tips and best practices. Thank you all for a great year, and we wish you a joyful holiday season! See you in 2026!95Views3likes0CommentsUpdate | Meta Horizon Apps Must Target Android 14 Starting March 1
Starting on March 1, 2026, all new binary uploads for new or existing Meta Horizon apps will be required to target Android 14 (API level 34). In order to meet this requirement, your targetSdkVersion must be API level 34, though minSdkVersion will not be impacted and can still use API level 32. This update moves us forward from the current Android 12L requirement from June 2023. By adopting the newer API, we’re able to take advantage of important security improvements and fixes, helping keep our platform healthier and safer for everyone. For more information along with step-by-step instructions on how to update your API version, check out the full blog post here. If you have any questions about the update or need help with any of the guides, please feel free to reach out!104Views0likes0Comments
30-day Reminder: Android 14 Targeting Required Starting March 1
Hey everyone! This is a friendly reminder that starting March 1, 2026, all new binary uploads for new or existing Meta Horizon apps must target Android 14 (API level 34). What this means for you: Set your targetSdkVersion to API level 34 Your minSdkVersion can remain at API level 32 Existing published apps will continue to work without changes New binary uploads after March 1 will require the updated targetSdkVersion Why we're making this change: This requirement allows us to take advantage of security improvements in the newer API and improve the health of our platform. What’s next: We recommend updating your projects now to ensure a smooth upload process after the deadline (March 1). Step-by-step instructions on how to update your API version can be found here. You can also update your API version automatically if you use the Project Setup Tool in Unity or Unreal with the Meta XR SDKs. For more information, read the full announcement here. Thank you for building for Meta Quest!
