App Lab

App Lab
Information
Type	Application distribution channel
Industry	Virtual reality
Developer	Meta Platforms
Operating System	Meta Horizon OS (Quest)
Supported Devices	Meta Quest headsets
Release Date	February 2, 2021

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App Lab was an alternative application distribution channel for the Meta Quest line of virtual reality headsets, operated by Meta Platforms (then Facebook) through its Oculus division. Launched on February 2, 2021, it let developers publish Quest apps directly to users without passing the full curation review required for the main Oculus Store, and without users needing to sideload software or enable developer mode.

App Lab apps did not appear in the curated Oculus Store and were not surfaced through general browsing; users typically reached them through a direct link, a redeemable key, or a search for the exact app name. The channel was closed as a separate distribution path in August 2024, when its catalogue was folded into the renamed Meta Horizon Store and replaced by an "Early Access" labelling system.

Background

When the standalone Oculus Quest launched in 2019, the only sanctioned way to publish software to it was the curated Oculus Store, which applied a manual review and a set of technical and editorial checks. Developers who did not pass that review, or who were not granted publishing access, had no first-party route to consumers. The main third-party workaround was SideQuest, a community-built platform that distributed apps as Android APK packages, which users installed by enabling developer mode and connecting the headset to a computer.

Meta described App Lab as a response to that gap: a way to get apps "that may not be ready for, or may never intend to be in, the Oculus Store" into users' hands without the friction of sideloading. The launch coincided with the discontinuation of the separate "Quest Publishing Access" application that developers had previously needed to be approved for before they could submit to the store.

How it worked

App Lab apps went through a reduced submission process compared with the main store. Meta required compliance with App Lab Policies, the Oculus Content Guidelines, the Data Use Policy and the App Policies, and applied a subset of the Virtual Reality Checks (VRCs), a battery of performance, security, tracking and functionality tests, but it relaxed the editorial and quality review used for the curated store.

Distribution and discovery worked differently from the main store.

Aspect	App Lab behaviour
Store visibility	Apps did not appear in the curated Oculus Store and were not promoted through general browsing; they were reachable mainly by direct link.
Search	Apps could be found by searching for the exact app name, where they were grouped under a dedicated App Lab heading in results.
Direct links	Each app had a shareable product-page URL that developers could distribute themselves.
Keys	Developers could issue redeemable keys for free copies, with the ability to control the timing of a release.
Pricing	Both free and paid apps were supported.
Installation	Apps installed straight to the headset and appeared in the user's normal Quest library; no developer mode, APK or computer was required.
SideQuest integration	Developers could submit an App Lab URL to SideQuest instead of an Android APK, so SideQuest listings could point to App Lab installs.

VR/AR relevance

App Lab occupied the middle ground between unrestricted sideloading and Meta's curated store, and for roughly three and a half years it was the main first-party route for smaller and experimental virtual reality software on the most widely sold consumer VR platform. Because Meta operated a closed ecosystem on the Quest, with no general first-party support for installing arbitrary apps, the existence of a lighter-touch official channel materially affected which VR titles reached players.

The clearest example is Gorilla Tag, a multiplayer climbing-and-tag game by Another Axiom. It launched in early access on SideQuest and on SteamVR in February 2021 and arrived on App Lab the following month. While on App Lab it grew by word of mouth to more than a million players and, according to its developer, took in roughly 26 million US dollars in in-app-purchase revenue during the period before it graduated to the full Quest Store on December 15, 2022. Meta and several VR outlets cited Gorilla Tag as evidence that App Lab could incubate hits that the curated store's review might otherwise have kept off the platform.

App Lab also drew criticism. Its apps were difficult to discover, since they were hidden from browsing and required an exact-name search or a direct link, and the channel still applied review steps that some developers found inconsistent. Those discoverability limits were a stated reason for the 2024 decision to merge App Lab into the main store.

Closure and Meta Horizon Store

On April 22, 2024, as part of an announcement that it would license its headset operating system, now branded Meta Horizon OS, to third-party manufacturers, Meta said it would open up its store and wind down App Lab as a separate channel. The Quest Store was renamed the Meta Horizon Store, and Meta said it would stop rejecting apps on a "subjective taste or quality basis" while still requiring them to meet "basic technical, content, and privacy requirements." The company described the rollout as happening in stages: App Lab titles would first appear in a dedicated section of the store, after which new submissions would go directly to the store and App Lab would no longer be a separate distribution channel.

The merge was carried out in August 2024. The transition began on August 5, 2024, alongside the public launch of the Meta Horizon Store branding, and Meta notified App Lab developers by email on August 23, 2024 that the change was complete. Former App Lab apps became publicly searchable and eligible to appear in store categories and algorithmic feeds rather than being hidden from browsing. In place of the old App Lab status, Meta introduced an "Early Access" designation, comparable to Steam Early Access, so developers could mark titles that were not yet ready for a general audience; the prior warning popup shown for App Lab apps was replaced with smaller text noting that an app "may be experimental or still in development" shown next to user ratings.

Timeline

Date	Event
February 2, 2021	App Lab launched as an alternative distribution channel for Oculus Quest apps; Quest Publishing Access application discontinued.
March 2021	Gorilla Tag released on App Lab, later cited as the channel's signature success.
April 22, 2024	Meta announced a more open store, renamed the store the Meta Horizon Store, and said App Lab would cease to be a separate channel.
August 5, 2024	Meta Horizon Store launched publicly; App Lab catalogue began merging into the main store.
August 23, 2024	Meta emailed App Lab developers confirming the transition was complete; "Early Access" labelling replaced App Lab status.

Current status

As of 2026, App Lab no longer exists as a distinct distribution channel. Apps that would previously have been published through it are submitted to the Meta Horizon Store, where they can carry an Early Access label, and they are surfaced through the store's normal search, categories and recommendation feeds rather than being hidden from browsing. The change formed part of Meta's wider move to position Meta Horizon OS as a licensable platform for third-party VR headsets in addition to its own Meta Quest hardware.