What you need to know
- Meta is working on a massive UI update for the Meta Quest line, allowing users to place windows anywhere in 3D space, as well as resize and reshape them.
- The beta July v67 system update includes a new experimental feature for window management.
- It's expected that Meta will launch the new major update in time for Connect 2024 and the Meta Quest 3s launch.
It's almost July and you know what that means! A new Meta Quest update has begun rolling out to beta testers and it includes the new UI update that Meta teased back at the end of May.
The July v67 Meta Quest update includes a new experimental feature that lets users treat windows more like they were on a traditional desktop computer with the added advantage of moving them around in 3D space! Users on Reddit and Threads have already begun posting about it, showing off all the capabilities of the new experimental feature.
The update seems to add two major changes to window management. First, users can now launch apps in windowed mode and move them anywhere they want. Previously, only three apps could run at a time and would have to be snapped into one of three predetermined locations side-by-side, similar to a standard triple-monitor computer setup.
Meta Quest OS v67 PTC has finally done it...🔗 https://t.co/L7i2lUWS8i 🔗 pic.twitter.com/rb7hBPS9luJune 25, 2024
Now, windowed apps like the Quest browser, Threads, YouTube, and others can be moved around and placed anywhere. You can also move windows forward and backward in space, allowing windows to be placed in front of or behind one another. This works well for spacing windows around a room for a better mixed-reality setup.
The new UI now allows up to six apps to run at once: three pinned and three floating. Apps can be dragged to appear to be placed on walls, as well, giving them similarities to window management on Apple Vision Pro.
Windows can also be resized and reshaped in any way you like. Grabbing a window from the bottom right corner and dragging it out will resize it, allowing users to change not only the size of the window but also its shape. That means apps aren't confined to running in traditional "landscape" or "portrait" modes like a mobile app usually would.
If you'd like to test the new features, you must be enrolled in the Meta Quest PTC beta update channel. Once that's done, you'll eventually get the update when it rolls out to your headset. Meta updates headsets in waves, so not all users get the same update simultaneously. My Quest 3 still doesn't have the update despite being enrolled in the PTC group, so you may need to wait a while for it.
The Meta Quest 3 is a mixed reality powerhouse, letting you multitask with virtual windows and apps any way you want to. Ditch that tablet and save your neck!
