Android Manifest for Google VR

Your VR application's AndroidManifest.xml file contains several attributes that affect how it works in the Daydream and Cardboard platforms.

VR Application attributes

There are a specific set of feature, permission and Android SDK requirements for Cardboard and Daydream apps. These should be specified as top-level entries in the application manifest:

<manifest ...>
    <uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="19" android:targetSdkVersion="24"/>
    ...
    <uses-feature android:glEsVersion="0x00020000" android:required="true" />
    <uses-feature android:name="android.software.vr.mode" android:required="false"/>
    <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.vr.high_performance" android:required="false"/>
    ...
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
    ...
</manifest>

The minimum Android SDK version supported by the Google VR SDK is API 19, as specified by <uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="19"/>. Specifying the target SDK version is optional for Cardboard apps, but Daydream apps should target API 24 or later.

OpenGL ES 2.0 is required to properly render VR content, as noted with <uses-feature android:glEsVersion="0x00020000" android:required="true" />.

Android N introduces two new features: "android.software.vr.mode" and "android.hardware.vr.high_performance". The former indicates use of Android's VR mode, while the latter indicates use of Daydream-ready device features. These should be marked as required solely for Daydream-only apps.

The android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission is required by the Google VR SDK to pair the user's phone to their VR viewer, but is only strictly necessary when Google VR Services is unavailable. Google VR Services will be preinstalled on all Daydream-ready devices.

VR Activity attributes

To make your Activity compatible with Daydream, you must declare some attributes in the manifest file:

<activity
    android:name=".MyActivity"
    android:screenOrientation="landscape"
    android:enableVrMode="@string/gvr_vr_mode_component"
    android:theme="@style/VrActivityTheme"
    android:resizeableActivity="false"
    android:configChanges="density|keyboardHidden|navigation|orientation|screenSize|uiMode"
    ...>

The android:enableVrMode attribute enables Android VR Mode, a feature introduced in Android 7.0 (Nougat) to allow high-performance mobile VR applications. This attribute indicates to the system that it should enable VR mode automatically when your Activity launches.

Note: You may notice that when you launch your Activity, the screen might appears to flicker slightly. This is because Android will switch the display to low persistence mode when VR mode is active.

The android:theme attribute above ensures that your Activity will look and behave correctly during VR transitions, and setting android:resizeableActivity to false indicates that your Activity can't be resized to share the screen with another Activity. The screen should always be in landscape mode, controlled by setting the android:screenOrientation attribute to landscape.

The android:configChanges attribute is necessary to avoid teardown and recreation of the Activity when certain Android configuration changes occur. Such teardown can be disruptive to the Daydream experience, particularly during transitions. See the Android Activity documentation for a more complete description of each entry.

Note: adding these attributes will not break compatibility with Cardboard. You can safely add them to your Activity even if you are using the same Activity to support both Cardboard and Daydream. See also the Daydream requirements guide for additional reference.

Platform compatibility

Each of your Activities must declare which VR platforms it supports (Daydream and/or Cardboard). You can do this by adding the DAYDREAM and/or CARDBOARD categories in the Activity's intent-filters section. For example, if your Activity only suppors Daydream but not Cardboard, you would declare it as follows:

<!-- Example of a Daydream-only Activity -->
<activity ... >
    <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />

        <!-- This marks the Activity as a Daydream Activity and allows it
             to be launched from the Daydream Home. -->
        <category android:name="com.google.intent.category.DAYDREAM" />

        <!-- This allows this Activity to be launched from the traditional
             Android 2D launcher as well. Remove it if you do not want
             this Activity to be launched directly from the 2D launcher. -->
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
    </intent-filter>
</activity>

If your Activity supports both Daydream and the Cardboard platforms, you should also declare the CARDBOARD category:

<!-- Example of a Daydream/Cardboard Activity -->
<activity ... >
    <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />

        <!-- This marks the Activity as a Daydream Activity and allows it
             to be launched from the Daydream Home. -->
        <category android:name="com.google.intent.category.DAYDREAM" />

        <!-- This marks the Activity as a Cardboard Activity and allows it
             to be launched from the Cardboard app. -->
        <category android:name="com.google.intent.category.CARDBOARD" />

        <!-- This allows this Activity to be launched from the traditional
             Android 2D launcher as well. Remove it if you do not want
             this Activity to be launched directly from the 2D launcher. -->
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
    </intent-filter>
</activity>

Lastly, if your Activity only supports Cardboard, you should declare the CARDBOARD category but not the DAYDREAM category:

<!-- Example of a Cardboard-only Activity -->
<activity ... >
    <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />

        <!-- This marks the Activity as a Cardboard Activity and allows it
             to be launched from the Cardboard app. -->
        <category android:name="com.google.intent.category.CARDBOARD" />

        <!-- This allows this Activity to be launched from the traditional
             Android 2D launcher as well. Remove it if you do not want
             this Activity to be launched directly from the 2D launcher. -->
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
    </intent-filter>
</activity>

Note: in order to work correctly with Daydream, your Activity must be exported. Adding intent filters as described above will set your Activity to be exported by default.

VR icon

If your Activity is only meant to be launched from the 2D home screen, a standard icon is sufficient. However, if the Activity supports Daydream, it should include a VR icon. If it does not have a VR icon, it will not show up in the Daydream app launcher.