#Create Your First App

Get started quickly with Expo Go, which allows you to run React Native apps on Meta Quest without configuring a full development environment.

#Create a new Expo app

Open your terminal and run:

npx create-expo-app@latest

Follow the prompts to name your project and choose a template.

#Start the development server

Navigate to your project directory and start Expo:

cd your-project-name
npx expo start

Expo starts its development server and displays a QR code in your terminal.

#Run on Meta Quest

1. Put on your Meta Quest headset
2. Open Expo Go (installed from Meta Horizon Store)
3. Grant camera permissions when prompted:
   • Approve access to virtual cameras
   • Approve access to headset cameras
4. Use the headset view to scan the QR code displayed in your terminal

Once scanned, Expo Go launches your project in a floating VR window. Any edits you make in your code editor appear in the headset almost immediately.

#Essential Setup

Some libraries require Quest-specific configuration before they work properly. The expo-horizon-core plugin is essential for Meta Quest apps.

#expo-horizon-core Plugin

The expo-horizon-core plugin handles:

• Removing prohibited Android properties
• Configuring Android product flavors (questRelease, questDebug)
• Setting Meta Horizon App ID
• Providing Quest-specific JavaScript utilities
• OS runtime detection

#Installation

npm install expo-horizon-core

#Configuration

#Screen Orientation

If your app renders with black bars after setting defaultWidth or defaultHeight in the expo-horizon-core plugin, ensure the orientation value in your app.json is set correctly to match the specified dimensions.

Change the orientation setting from:

{
  "expo": {
    "orientation": "portrait"
  }
}

to:

{
  "expo": {
    "orientation": "default"
  }
}

For more advanced use cases, you can use the expo-screen-orientation library to programmatically control screen orientation at runtime.

#expo-horizon-core Plugin

Add to your app.json:

{
  "expo": {
    "plugins": [
      [
        "expo-horizon-core",
        {
          "horizonAppId": "your-horizon-app-id",
          "defaultHeight": "640dp",
          "defaultWidth": "1024dp",
          "supportedDevices": "quest2|quest3|quest3s",
          "disableVrHeadtracking": false,
          "allowBackup": false
        }
      ]
    ]
  }
}

See the expo-horizon-core documentation for details.

After installing expo-horizon-core, your project is configured for Quest builds. You can now:

• Build Quest-specific variants
• Use Quest utilities like isHorizonDevice()
• Access Quest-specific features

#Development Builds

Expo Go is great for prototyping, but for production apps you'll need a development build to access native modules and the full React Native ecosystem.

#Why use a development build?

• Access to custom native modules
• Use libraries not available in Expo Go
• Test production-like builds locally
• Debug native code

#Setup

#1. Configure Android Development Environment

Follow Expo's setup instructions for Android development builds.

#2. Enable Developer Mode

1. Install the Meta Horizon app on your phone
2. Enable developer mode following Meta's guide
3. Connect your Quest via USB
4. Approve USB debugging when prompted on the headset

#3. Start Development Server

Start your Expo development server:

npx expo start

Ensure you're running in "development build" mode. If not, press s in the terminal to switch modes.

#4. Connect Your Device

When you connect Meta Quest for the first time, you'll see a prompt:

"Allow USB debugging?"

Confirm this to enable debugging and development features.

#Verify Setup

Your terminal should show "development build" mode. You now have access to:

• Full native module support
• Custom configurations
• Platform-level debugging
• ADB logs and profiling tools

#Building for Quest

Use Quest-specific build variants:

# Development build
npx expo run:android --variant questDebug

# Production build
npx expo run:android --variant questRelease

#Platform Detection

Use expo-horizon-core to detect Quest devices:

import ExpoHorizon from 'expo-horizon-core';

if (ExpoHorizon.isHorizonDevice) {
  // Quest-specific code
}