Use Link for App Development
Link helps you decrease your iteration time by launching the app you develop in Unity or Unreal directly from the Editor to your device when you select Play(â–º). This eliminates the need to build the app on PC and deploy it to a Meta Quest headset every time you test your app during development.
This topic:
- Outlines Link as a developer tool.
- References resources for Link setup and basic usage.
- Discusses useful settings and troubleshooting practices while testing your apps over Link.
Link is compatible with Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 2, and Meta Quest Pro headsets.
Apps released on the Meta Horizon Store don’t have access to development/experimental features, even if the features are enabled in Link settings.
Important: To make sure all features work as intended prior to releasing to the Store, you must check your app on device first.
The visual appearance and performance characteristics of an app running over Link may differ from running it on a Meta Quest headset.
Link causes your device to behave like a PC VR headset until the tool is explicitly turned off.
Note: Link is currently only supported on Windows. If you are developing on macOS, or developing without access to a headset, use
Meta XR Simulator.
To set up Link on your development machine:
- Download Link and install the app on your machine.
- Put on your headset.
- Open the Quick Settings window by selecting the clock on the left side of the menu bar.
- Open Settings, select System > Quest Link, and toggle Quest Link on.
- Select Launch Quest Link to start Link on your development machine and on your headset.
- In the Meta Quest Link app, navigate to Settings > General.
- Next to OpenXR Runtime, select Set Meta Quest Link as active. Once active, the option is grayed out.
Toggle developer runtime features - In the Meta Quest Link app, navigate to Settings > Beta.
- Ensure Developer Runtime Features option is toggled on.
Ensure feature support over Link Suppose that you want to test an app that uses passthrough, eye tracking, and natural face expressions.
- In the Meta Quest Link app, navigate to Settings > Beta.
Ensure Link support for Passthrough over Meta Quest Link, Eye tracking over Meta Quest Link, and Natural Facial Expressions over Meta Quest Link are all toggled on.
Note: The options for these features appear only after you toggle on Developer Runtime Features.
After you toggle each of the features on, read the dialog box. Select Turn On if you consent.
- If your Unity or Unreal project is already open, restart the Editor after enabling the features over Link.
Connect your headset using a USB-C cable, and perform the following in the Meta Quest Link app:
- Select Devices and ensure your headset is showing up.
- Select the connected device and select Device Setup in the right menu.
- Select Link Cable and then select Continue.
- On the Connect Your Headset page, select Continue.
- On the Check Your Cable Connection page, select Test Connection.
Ensure you get a Compatible connection message, after the test is complete.
For color passthrough, the USB connection should provide an effective bandwidth of at least 2 Gbps.
If this test returns an
Incompatible connection message, or if the bandwidth is low, you might need to try a different USB-C cable. We recommend the
Meta Quest Link Cable.
You can always measure the connection speed by using the USB speed tester built into the Meta Quest Link app:
- In the Meta Quest Link app, go to Devices.
- Select the connected device.
- Select USB Test and then Test Connection.
Check Link connection on headset To ensure your headset connects to Link properly, follow these steps on your headset:
- Go to Settings > System.
- Next to Quest Link, toggle on access.
Basic Link usage for app development
As a developer, you can use Link in two modes:
- Directly run the scene in the Unreal Editor by hitting VR Preview(â–º)
- Run your project as a standalone PC app
Regardless of the mode, the app collects full tracking data from your headset.
Running your app on a PC over Link for most cases is similar to running on the headset. While running the app on a PC over Link for Play-in-Editor and standalone modes, you (as a user) see a 3D screen of the app inside your viewport of the headset as well as the normal screen of the app on the PC screen.
Disabling the proximity sensor via Meta Quest Developer Hub (MQDH) is part of the standard development workflow.
Connect your headset to your development machine.
Open MQDH on your machine.
From the left navigation bar in MQDH, select Device Manager.
Select your headset from the Devices list.
Under Device Actions, locate Proximity Sensor.
Select the dropdown and disable the proximity sensor for two hours or longer.
Unreal has the capacity to simulate platform specific rendering. You can find the feature under Settings > Preview Platform.
Quest devices use the Vulkan rendering technology, however we support both OpenGL and Vulkan for Link.
Known issue : PokeAHole material is not working with OpenGL preview. A workaround is to use a material with AlphaHoldout blend mode instead (not working over Opaque objects)
