Meta has released a new version of the Quest operating system, Horizon OS, which brings a handful of improvements to the Quest 3, Quest 3S and Quest 2.
The 74.0 Horizon OS update has arrived, and while it does not introduce major new features, it does come with some useful changes VR fans should take note of.
First up, you’ll be able to add web links to the app library. This is handy for services that can be access through the web that have never been given the proper Meta Quest app treatment.
Netflix is the obvious example. While the streamer used to have a Meta Quest headset app, it was discontinued in July 2024 after support through the website was improved significantly.
It’s the kind of addition you might miss. As is the tweaked multitasking.
Apps that you minimize now appear as 2D thumbnail previews in the main floating menu. Jumping back into them should feel a little more intuitive as a result.
Meta’s Quest 3 headset will also now be able to mirror its content to an external display in “high resolution and low latency.”
This is a significant improvement for VR content creators who want to show what they’re playing in videos.
There’s also change that should solve some headaches for family Meta Quest users. Secondary, non admin, accounts will now be able to connect to the Meta Horizon phone app, allowing for casting to another device.
Plenty will not have stumbled on the annoyingly rigid way Meta approached this stuff beforehand, but it has proved a major headache to many.
Scanning of rooms, to establish a play space, had been altered too. You will now be able to move from room to room continuously.
Finally, at least for this summary, the Quest headset will now auto-detect when you might be in a situation that requires Travel mode.
This was added in 2024, and is intended for use on flights. It tunes the motion detection algorithm to compensate for turbulence and other flight motion, as well as other tweaks. How can it tell you’re in a plane? The obvious route would be location data through a connected phone or Wi-Fi network, as there’s no altimeter onboard that could recognize the effects of cabin pressurization.
The Horizon 74.0 update is available for Quest 3, Quest 3S, Quest Pro and Quest 2, and began rolling out on February 18.
