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Pre-downloads
Updated: Oct 1, 2025
Pre-download allows app updates to be downloaded opportunistically to the headset ahead of go live time. This significantly reduces the overall update time from when the update goes live, as the time to download the update is a large portion of the overall time to update an app.
When marked as a pre-downloadable update, it will be downloaded to eligible Quest devices, and stored in an encrypted format, so there is no risk of the contents of the update leaking. At or after the scheduled time to go live, the app updates the app from the local pre-downloaded copy, without the additional time to download from the store.
Note that there is no guarantee every user will get the update pre-downloaded. Instead, they happen opportunistically based on a few factors. The benefits of using pre-downloads include:
- Reduced time to update
- Reduced time to fun for users launching the app who are not yet on the latest version
- Reduced session abandonment due to lower overall update time.
Note that app publishers do not need any coding or backend changes, just changes to their update release process to have a signed-off build ahead of time when they want to go live.
How to set up pre-downloads
The following steps will guide you through how to schedule pre-downloads for your app. We recommend a pre-download time window between 24 hours and a week based on the size of the update. Depending on internet speeds and connectivity, small updates in the low 100s of MB will pre-download faster than large updates with multiple GBs. The longer the time available to pre-download before it goes live, the more users will benefit.
Note: such builds can be delivered to the devices prior to the release and instantly applied on the release date, with no extra downloads.
Necessary permissions
In order to set up pre-downloads in the Developer Dashboard, you’ll need to have a team member with the following permissions:
- App Submission
- Manage Binaries
- Manage Release Channels
For details on how to create and manage team members, see Add members and roles to your team.
Setting up scheduled submission
Use the following steps to schedule the pre-download for your app build:
- Upload a build to any release channel.
- Open your browser and navigate to the Developer Dashboard.
- Choose your app.
- From the left-side navigation, click Distribution > Release Channels.
- Choose the release channel that you uploaded your build to in step 1.
- Click the Schedule Build Release button.
- Select the build and release date.
- Check the Allow pre-downloading this build box to enable pre-downloading.
- Click Submit.
Canceling a submitted pre-download
If you need to cancel a pre-download, you can do so before the release date and time. Regardless of whether you’re using the automatic scheduled submission (1-click) or a binary-only developer-scheduled submission, you may cancel the submission by selecting the Delete option from the App Submissions overview page:
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Virtual reality / Meta Horizon
Support and legal
Virtual reality / Meta Horizon
Support and legal
Virtual reality / Meta Horizon
Support and legal
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