InstaVR had a great Q2, culminating in a new Series B financing round of $5 Million. If you’ve followed us the last 2.5+ years, you know we continually improve and update our solution on a rolling basis. When there’s a big change — ie when we released our Active Co-Viewing module — we let you know right here on the blog. But most updates are quietly added to our searchable FAQ page and discovered by users.

With that in mind, we wanted to look back at some of the most notable feature updates over the last three months. If you have any questions on how they work, don’t hesitate to contact our Support Team via Live Chat (weekdays, US business hours) or email (24/7). Thanks for continuing to support and grow InstaVR!

Stream/Download Option

What is it?  

Stream/Download is a new menu option that allows your users to choose if they’d like to Download or Stream your application. This is particularly impactful for InstaVR Pro users looking to create applications over 2GB in size. If intended to be used offline, the user can Download the entirety of the app before running it. Or if they have a reliable internet connection, they can instead choose to Stream the app.

How can I use it?

(InstaVR Pro users only)

Branding -> Add-On Screens -> Download or Streaming Dialog

Works with iOS, Android, Gear VR, Daydream, Oculus

Best Use Cases:

1. For applications 2GB+ in size
2. When you’re not sure if your users will have internet access or not while using your app. If so, it’s best they use the Download feature and download the entirety of the application prior to running it.

External Hosting

What is it?  

Included with each InstaVR Pro account is 500GB of monthly streaming or download bandwidth. Your media is hosted on our InstaVR CDN. But starting in Q2, we added the ability to utilize a third-party hosting provider, such as Vimeo Pro. So if you plan on going over 500GB of monthly usage — let’s say you have a popular app on the Stores or are using WebVR on a popular web page — you can either purchase additional bandwidth from us or use an approved 3rd party hosting provider.

How can I use it?

(InstaVR Pro users only — must purchase as an add-on)

Authoring -> Right side of screen -> Streaming Quality/External Hosting

Then type in the URL of where the media is to be hosted and accessed by the InstaVR application

Best Use Cases:

1. If you’re expecting to utilize a large amount of bandwidth through your application — ie more than 500 GB/month — and you have another trusted hosting provider, such as Vimeo Pro. Otherwise, we also sell bandwidth at a rate very comparable to AWS’ bulk rate.

Fade In/Fade Out Hotspot Transition

What is it?  

When initiating or closing Hotspots, we added the option to have a gradual fade effect vs. immediate appearance/disappearance. This gradual fade is generally more pleasant to the eye, as it suggests a Hotspot image/video is to appear before actually playing,

How can I use it?

(all InstaVR users, WebVR only)

Authoring -> Add Hotspot -> Transition Options -> Use fade-in effect AND/OR Use fade-out effect

Best Use Cases:

1. We generally use these effects for most Hotspots, particularly the fade-in effect, as it’s a more elegant solution. But it’s easy to try both by quickly packaging to WebVR, and seeing which way you prefer.

Oculus Go – ADB Publishing Method

Oculus Go – ADB Publishing Method

What is it?  

In Q2, the standalone Oculus Go headset launched. To coincide with the shipment of the headsets, we unveiled two methods of publishing from InstaVR to Oculus Go: ADB (Android Debug Bridge) and Oculus Store.

Both methods are fairly straightforward. The decision on which way to publish comes down to:

• Do you have the headset you’d like your app on in your possession?
• Do you need to distribute it to other users, particularly in other locations?

If your answers to the above are 1. Yes and 2. No…. ADB is likely your best method.

How can I use it?

(InstaVR Free and Pro Users)

We wrote a whole step-by-step guide for ADB loading. You can read it here. You’ll need your laptop, the cable that comes with your Oculus Go, and the headset itself.

Best Use Cases:

1. Facebook/Oculus generally recommends using the Oculus Store method. However, if you’re just loading a single app onto a single headset in your possession, using the ADB approach might save you a little bit of time. Some users also prefer not having their media uploaded to Oculus for privacy reasons. If that’s the case, ADB is the only other method.

Oculus Go – Oculus Store & Direct Publishing Method

Oculus Go – ADB Publishing Method

What is it?  

Publishing and distributing Oculus Go apps from InstaVR is simple. There’s actually four separate ways to do it.

• Publishing to Store as an In-Progress App. This allows users to upload their app to the Oculus Home on their specific Go. Note your app will not be published widely. It will only appear on your headset. (Free and Pro users)
• Publishing to Store. If you’d like to distribute your app widely, so all Oculus Go users can access it, you can submit it to the Oculus Store. Just like with Gear VR and Daydream, their review process is fairly rigorous. So you’ll want to make sure your app is of significant entertainment or educational value if you’re publishing widely. (Pro users only)
• Publishing to Release Channels. If you’d like to allow select Oculus Go users access to your app, you can do so easily using the RC/Alpha/Beta Release Channels provided by Oculus. You’ll need to know the registered Oculus email addresses of the end users you want to grant access to. (Pro users only)
• Direct Publishing to Oculus Go. This is similar to using the Release Channels approach. But as you can see from the video above, this allows you to make updates to your app in InstaVR, then press publish for those updates to be reflected in the Go. This will save you a lot of time if you intend to frequently update your app. (Pro users only

How can I use it?

We have two guides you’ll want to check out. Links are below. Do note that if you’re a Free user, you can only use the Publishing to Store as In-Progress App approach…. meaning you can’t distribute your app widely or to the Release Channels.

Publishing to Oculus Go through Oculus Store

Direct Publishing to Oculus Go for Updating Your App

Best Use Cases:

1. Publishing as in In-Progress App is the only method, outside of ADB, if you’re a Free user and just want to load your app on your Oculus Go headset.
2. Publishing widely through the Oculus Store is great if you want to reach the widest audience possible. Your app, if accepted, can be downloaded by anyone with an Oculus Go.
3. Publishing through Release Channels is the perfect method for sharing your app with clients, colleagues, and friends.
4. Direct Publishing is best if you’re going to making frequent updates to your app. For example, if you have a weekly training app you push out to users, doing the Direct Publishing method will save you the time of having to weekly download your .apk file from InstaVR and then upload it to the Oculus Store project. It reduces the process to one-click publishing for each update.