Summary
Previously Meta devices operated on the Android 10 operating system
Meta Quest devices on firmware v51 or higher will now use Android 12
Android 12 changes the way ManageXR can deploy certain files onto a device
To deploy obbs and files to Android/obb through ManageXR you need to obtain a one-time permission from a device user. This is granted automatically during provisioning for devices registered with ManageXR after April 6th 2023.
To deploy files to Android/data through ManageXR you need to obtain a one-time permission from a device user. We recommend shifting away from deploying files to Android/data via ManageXR in the long term
*Update* Our testing of the latest firmware on the Meta Public Test Channel has shown this workaround for deploying files to /Android/data is no longer viable on Meta devices on version 63 or above.
What is Android 12?
VR and AR devices typically run on Android operating systems. Android releases new versions of the operating system with the goal to eliminate bugs, strengthen security, and improve performance. Over time, hardware manufacturers adopt new versions of the Android operating system. Android 12 is one of these operating system versions.
What devices are on Android 12?
Meta Quest devices on firmware v51 or higher.
What is the impact of Android 12?
Android 12 will only impact your deployment if you are using devices that run on Android 12 AND doing at least one of the following:
Deploying OBBs with your applications
Deploying files to the
sdcard/Android/datadirectory via ManageXR
Deploying files to the
sdcard/Android/obbdirectory via ManageXR
Along with a variety of improvements to device performance and security, Android 12 includes some significant changes to the way apps can access the device’s file system. Specifically, Android 12 adds new limits to the way apps like ManageXR can read/write files to certain protected folders and deploy OBBs.
These newly protected folders include the Android/obb and Android/data folders. You can think of the Android/data/your.app.packagename and Android/obb/your.app.packagename as sandboxes. With Android 12, only the actual application can access its sandbox by default. So, for the ManageXR Admin App to deploy new files to your protected folders, we need to obtain new permissions.
⚠️ New permissions required to deploy files to protected locations:
One-time in-headset permission required to deploy OBBs with applications or to deploy files to
Android/obb(only on devices registered before 4/6/23)One-time in-headset permission required to deploy files to
Android/data
How to deploy OBBs on Android 12 devices
ManageXR needs permission to deploy OBBs to your Android 12 devices. Each device must grant these permissions in order to receive updates to OBBs or files deployed to Android/obb.
For devices provisioned with ManageXR before April 6th 2023
There are two methods to grant ManageXR permission to deploy OBBs and files to Android/obb:
Grant permission in-headset, customize how and when notifications appear
Grant permission with the Device Setup Tool by re-installing ManageXR
For devices provisioned with ManageXR after April 6th 2023
Good news! If you are setting up new devices, you don't need to worry about OBB permissions. ManageXR will obtain them from your device automatically during the device setup process.
How to deploy files to Android/data on Android 12 devices
ManageXR needs permission to deploy files to the Android/data folder on your Android 12 devices. Each device must grant these permissions in order to receive updates to Android/data. Learn how to grant Android data permission in-headset.
Best practices for deploying files to protected locations with ManageXR
Future versions of Android will likely make it impossible for ManageXR to deploy files to the Android/data/your.app.packagename location. Although we’ve built a workaround to continue supporting this in the short term, Android will not enable ManageXR to support this forever. This capability will be blocked once and for all when Android 13 comes around.
If you currently rely on Android/data to deploy supporting files for your applications, we recommend that you transition to (1) using OBBs or (2) using public directories on the device that both ManageXR and your own app can access. We know this transition may not be easy. Please reach out to developers@managexr.com or schedule a time to chat with our technical team, if you'd like to discuss file management. Working together will help us make the transition process as smooth as possible.