Spatial Data Permission

The spatial data runtime permission allows users to control which apps can access their spatial data. The permission applies to apps running on Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, Meta Quest 3, and Meta Quest 3S. See Requesting runtime permissions⁠ for more information.

An app that wants to use Scene Model or Depth data needs to request spatial data permission during the app’s runtime. The request displays a one-time permission explainer dialog, followed by a permission consent confirmation dialog. Only when the user grants the permission can the app query all spatial data on the device.

Meta Horizon Link v62 introduced a new permission toggle to control access to spatial data. Developers need to toggle it on to get access to the spatial data when querying for anchors or using the Depth API on the device. To toggle it on, navigate to Settings > Beta > Enable Developer Runtime features > Spatial Data over Meta Horizon Link > Turn On.

In order for the headset to know that the permission is used by your app, it needs to be specified in your app’s Android manifest. In your app’s AndroidManifest.xml, declare the following permission: <uses-permission android:name="com.oculus.permission.USE_SCENE" />

Alternatively, navigate to Edit > Project Settings > Plugins > Meta XR, then enable Mobile > Scene Support.

You can also add bSceneSupportEnabled=True under the [/Script/OculusXRHMD.OculusXRHMDRuntimeSettings] section in your project’s DefaultEngine.ini:

[/Script/OculusXRHMD.OculusXRHMDRuntimeSettings]
bSceneSupportEnabled=True

As per the Android permission guidelines⁠, it is recommended to request the permission only when using the functionality, and to provide a fallback if the user decides not to grant the permission.

You can use the following code to first check if the permission has already been granted, and if not, request the permission at the appropriate point in your app’s runtime.

If your app is compiled with a recent version of the Meta XR Plugin, the SDK automatically requests the USE_SCENE permission when your app uses a feature that requires it (for example, environment depth). You do not need to request the permission manually in this case. However, you should handle the case where the user denies the permission by providing a graceful fallback for the affected feature.

For implementation details, see the Android Permission⁠ documentation for Unreal Engine. Documentation for the affected Unreal Scene API can be found in Unreal Scene Overview.

If permission is not granted by the user, the Scene Actor (see Unreal Scene Overview) will not be populated with scene entity actors, even if spatial data has been captured on the user’s device.