Meta Quest v49 Update: New ‘Do Not Disturb’ Mode, Easier Parental Supervision Setup, and an Abstract Home Environment

Happy new year! Maybe it’s a little late in January to still be saying that, but it feels appropriate as we prepare to roll out the first Meta Quest software update of 2023.

Our v49 update will begin rolling out shortly, bringing with it a new avant-garde Home environment and the chance to explore an unseen side of some more familiar places. We’re also adding a new Do Not Disturb mode that silences intrusive notifications mid-game, and empowering parents and guardians to initiate and manage Parental Supervision settings on Meta Quest via our new Family Center web page.

Read on for more details, and (as always) keep in mind that our software updates roll out gradually. If you don’t see the update today, don’t worry, it’s on its way soon.

Home Environment

Last month we released a new Home environment just in time for the holidays. Set the Polar Village as your Home, and you’ll have year-round access to snow-capped cottages, the majesty of a winter’s (early) morn, the light of flickering fireplaces and the awe-inspiring aurora borealis.

But maybe you don’t like the cold, the mountains, or even objects. If you’re ready to step outside the boundaries of reality, check out the new Abstraction environment included in v49. An explosion of color and amorphous blobs, Abstraction is the perfect escape when you need a place to focus. We’ll be adding additional environments throughout 2023, working towards a metaverse where everyone can set a Home that reflects their personality—or changes daily with their mood.

We’re also upgrading a handful of existing Home environments while we’re at it. The v49 update will add additional hotspots in the Desert Terrace, Space Station, and Winter Lodge environments, so you can more freely move around and explore those areas—including “sitting” on the chairs and couches when your friends come to visit, so hanging out feels more natural. (Real chair or couch not included.)

And one small quality-of-life fix: You can now move around your Home and rotate which way your avatar is facing at your destination even with the UI active. (Previously, the UI would prevent you from rotating.)

Not sure how to change your Home? Look for it under the Virtual Environment tab in your Settings menu.

Do Not Disturb

There you are, creeping through the barren and blighted world of Into The Radius, so nervous that you’re literally holding your breath—and then a notification pops up to let you know that your friend just started playing Beat Saber.

Well-meaning? Absolutely. Distracting? It can be! That’s why we’ve added a new Do Not Disturb mode in v49 that, once activated, silences any non-critical notifications only while you’re in immersive games and apps. (Note that you can also activate a broader system-wide Do Not Disturb mode that silences notifications no matter what you’re doing.)

You’ll find this new mode under the Notifications panel in your Settings menu, under the “Do Not Disturb” section.

Family Center

We continue to build new tools and resources (and adjust existing ones) to help parents and guardians support their teens across Meta's technologies.

With v49, we’re making it easier to set up and manage our Parental Supervision tools across the Meta Quest platform. While these settings can still be accessed from the Meta Quest mobile app, now you can also access these settings, tools, and educational resources on the web from Family Center. There, you can get answers to common questions, discover what Parental Supervision tools are available, or simply make changes to existing Parental Supervision settings. Limit what games and apps your teen can access, know what they’re purchasing, see how much time they’re spending in VR, and more, directly from your web browser.

We’re also expanding how Parental Supervision can be set up. When we launched our tools last summer, teens needed to send parents an invite to set up Supervision. With v49, we’re now making it easier for parents to invite their teens to set up Supervision. More information about the Supervision tools available with Meta Quest and step-by-step instructions on setting up Supervision can be found here.

That’s it for v49, but we’re just getting started on 2023. Stay tuned to the Meta Quest Blog all year for additional software updates, game announcements and releases, and more!