Allow or deny Vulkan API usage

By default, Unity prevents Android devices known to run Unity applications sub-optimally with Vulkan graphics API. However, your testing might reveal that some restricted devices actually run your application better with Vulkan API than with OpenGLES3 API. Alternatively, you might want to further restrict some devices to run your application with Vulkan API. Using Android Vulkan Allow and Deny Filter Lists, you can fine tune which devices you want to allow to run your application with Vulkan API.

With Android Vulkan Allow Filter List, you can allow certain devices to use Vulkan as the default graphics API to run your application. Alternatively, with Android Vulkan Deny Filter List, you can limit certain devices from using Vulkan API to run your application. For both types of list, you can specify values for the following parameters to identify a device or set of devices:

• Vendor
• Device Name
• Brand
• Product Name
• Android OS version
• Vulkan API version
• Driver version

You can use C# regular expressions for all the parameters, except Vulkan API version and Driver version. For example, [A|a]dreno .*6[0-9][0-9], Qual*, [S|s]amsung. The Unity Editor displays an error for an invalid regular expression.

The device properties must match all the parameter values (logical AND) to determine whether it’s allowed or denied to run your application with Vulkan API. The Allow Filter List identifies all the devices with Vulkan API and driver versions equal to or greater than the specified parameter values. For example, if you specify the GPU vendor as Qualcomm, the GPU model name as Adreno, and Vulkan API version as 1.1.128, the Allow Filter List will allow all the devices with Qualcomm Adreno GPU that have Vulkan API version greater than or equal to 1.1.128.

The Deny Filter List identifies all the devices with Vulkan API and driver versions less than or equal to the specified parameter values. For example, if you specify the GPU vendor as ARM, the GPU model name as Mali, and Vulkan driver version as 0.676.0, the Deny Filter List will restrict all the devices with ARM Mali GPU that have Vulkan driver version less than or equal to 0.676.0.

Note: Although you can restrict the use of Vulkan on a group of devices, you can use the Allow Filter List to enable particular devices from that group to still use Vulkan.

To allow Android devices to always use Vulkan API, use the following steps:

1. From the main menu, navigate to Edit > Project Settings > Player > Android settings > Other Settings.
2. In the Vulkan Settings section, go to Android Vulkan Allow Filter List and use the foldout (triangle) to expand it.
3. Select the Add (+) button to add specifications of the Android device that you want to allow the Vulkan API usage on. A set of parameters is displayed.
4. Enter the device specifications in the available parameters. All the parameters are optional. For the description of parameters, refer to Android Player settings.

Android devices that meet the specifications defined in the parameter values will always use Vulkan API for Unity applications.

To restrict Android devices from using Vulkan API, use Android Vulkan Deny Filter List and follow the same steps as earlier.

Notes:

• If you set same values in both Allow and Deny Filter Lists, Unity ignores the criteria defined by those values.
• The restricted devices use a fallback graphics API set in the Player settingsSettings that let you set various player-specific options for the final game built by Unity. More info
  See in Glossary to run your application. If no fallback API is available, the application won’t launch.
• You can also use androidVulkanDenyFilterList and androidVulkanAllowFilterList APIs to allow or restrict the use of Vulkan API on Android devices.

Additional resources

• Regular expressions