Meta has begun rolling out the Horizon OS Interface overhaul to Quest Owners on the PTC. It will be available to everyone “over the coming months”. Meta, the company behind Horizon OS, announced the new system interface in September. The name was Navigator and a short clip showed its teaser. With Horizon OS v77, Meta says Navigator has been rolled out to “some users on our Public Test Channel )”,” and is expected to be gradually rolled out to all of the users in the coming months. Navigator combines the main system features like Library, Quick Controls and Camera in a new overlay. This overlay appears on both immersive and 2D applications, with a transparent background. It is a significant change from the existing approach where system interfaces are treated as any other 2D application. You can also pin up to ten items in its library. It’s similar to the Windows start menu.
“We designed Navigator using everything we have learned in the past decade. Horizon OS is evolving, and this is only the beginning. We have a lot more in store for the future, so keep an eye out”, Meta at Connect 2024. What is the Public Test Channel? The Public Test Channel is Meta Quest’s beta channel. If you choose to opt-in, your headset will receive a prerelease build of the Quest system software. This is now called
, version.
There are some features that will be in the final stable version but not in the PTC. Occasionally (but rarely), features or changes from the PTC may not make it into the stable version. Instagram Photos In 3D.
Meta claims to be “running a trial” for turning photos from “some people’s Instagram feeds”. This is done via the Instagram App on Quest. No fancy 3D camera is required to transform existing Instagram photos pixel-by-pixel. The company writes said that flat photos that were not originally captured in 3D would automatically be converted to an immersive format which gives 2D images the sense of depth. Meta Horizon OS: Instagram
Instagram is a new feature on Meta Horizon. This allows 2D images to be converted into 3D. The Photos apps of
, Horizon OS have this capability. However, we have not seen any major social networks experiment with it. Meta teases the test as “an initial look at our plans for bringing social and entertainment experiences from 2D today to a more immersive 3D future”. Other Horizon OS Changes
Meta claims that Horizon OS version 77 will also bring the following changes.
Move along with your Windows
Select windows now follow you when you move. This update eliminates the need to reset your view every time you move. For now, you can only use one window to move around the room.
Switch spatial audio on and off explains Select which panels and apps use spatial sound. Open the Audio menu under Settings in Meta Quest to manage your spatial audio settings. Meta Horizon now supports Bluetooth LE audio
The Text to Speech feature Apple Vision Pro is an accessibility tool that allows you to hear the text read out loud when hovering your cursor over it. It is currently only compatible with some menus and app surfaces. Changes to customization of name tags Pico 4 Ultra Name tag frames will be removed and some customization options will change. Name tag frames will be removed from name tags on May 5, but you can still use stickers to customize it. New button combination for Meta AI.
Meta AI users now have a button shortcut that reduces accidental activations. You can now press the Meta button and then the grip to activate Meta AI. This is similar to the way you would use Meta with the trigger to take screenshots. Meta AI is a feature that you can activate in advanced settings.
Like all Meta Horizon OS upgrades, v77 is “rolled out” slowly, so your headset may not receive the v77 upgrade for a few weeks or days. Meta also releases many of its features in separate updates, so just because you have the v77 upgrade doesn’t mean that the article will be available. Some developers have also complained about
recent Horizon OS upgrades, an issue
that the company is “taking serious” and spending time addressing.