The Meta App Lab, a platform for unlisted app exploration, is set to be discontinued in August 2024. Meta announced plans to merge App Lab titles with the main Quest Store, aiming to simplify app discovery for users and boost visibility for independent developers.

Launched in 2021, the App Lab offered a space for developers to showcase in-development or niche VR experiences that didn’t meet the curated requirements of the main Quest Store. While it provided a valuable platform for experimentation, finding these apps often required users to know the exact title or navigate through URLs.

The App Lab shutdown also simplifies the app submission process for developers. Previously, developers had to navigate two separate channels, the App Lab and the main Store. Now, they’ll be able to submit their VR creations through a single, unified process.

To accommodate unpolished or in-development apps, Meta is introducing a new “Early Access” tag within the Quest Store. This tag will allow developers to showcase their ongoing projects while users can make informed decisions before downloading.

The App Lab shutdown and store merge pave the way for a more accessible and user-friendly VR ecosystem on the Meta Quest platform. With easier app discovery and a streamlined submission process, both users and developers are poised to benefit from this evolution.