Meta’s request for Play Store on Quest VR headsets was denied by Google

Meta has already shown its expertise in the virtual reality field. The company has the Quest series in its catalog list. Reportedly, the company’s VR headsets are based on an operating system that stems from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). It means these operating systems can run Android apps. When it comes to app distribution platforms on Quest handsets, users have two options, i.e., the Quest Store and App Lab.

You will be surprised to learn that the Play Store, the biggest platform for Android apps, is unavailable for Quest headsets. It is quite concerning, and we have gotten some details about this matter from the company’s CTO, Andrew Bosworth. During an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Instagram last week, Andrew was asked whether Quest 3 will support 2D Android apps or not. In response, Andrew shared that the company is interested in adding access to the Play Store for Quest VR headsets; however, Google doesn’t appear to be willing.

“We would love for Google to bring their Play Store of apps to VR,” he said precisely. We have inquired. It is sort of up to developers to accomplish it because they don’t want to. There are no further details on why Google doesn’t want it. But there might be several concerns, especially when Google is planning to debut a VR headset in collaboration with Samsung and Qualcomm. For this reason, the company might desire to keep the platform exclusive to its VR user base. Well, such an approach can give Google a competitive advantage over others in the same field.