Meta Quest v53 Update: Patch Games During Shutdown, WiFi 6E Support on Meta Quest Pro, New Browser Controls for Parents, and More

We skipped a few numbers, but it’s time for our next Meta Quest software update.

We’ll soon begin rolling out v53. The highlights? You can now delay shutting down your Meta Quest headset until all game and app updates have been downloaded, which should help you get in-game faster the next time around. We’re also rolling out new Parental Supervision tools around the Meta Quest Browser. And we’re enabling you to log in to your Twitch account, if you want to hang out and watch your favorite streamers in VR.

What else, what else? The Advanced Camera Settings we rolled out in v44 are graduating out of the Experimental Settings panel, and we’re changing video recordings to capture in stereo as well. And on Meta Quest Pro, we’re adding support for WiFi 6E, if you’ve got a cutting-edge network at home capable of taking advantage.

Read on for more details, and remember that we roll software updates out gradually to ensure there are no issues along the way! Stay tuned, it’ll make its way to your headset soon.

New Supervision Tool for Parents and Teens

We’re continuing to invest in even more ways to support parents and teens through our Meta Quest supervision tools. With v53, we’re introducing a new tool, the Meta Quest Browser Website Category Filter, to help parents and guardians manage what their teens can access and view in the Meta Quest Browser.

Parents can set up this new tool by going to the Parental Supervision tab in the Meta Quest mobile app. From there, parents can choose to block websites based on different categories of content, such as “Alcohol” or “Violence.” These choices are specific to each account, so parents of multiple teens can pick different settings that they feel are suitable for each teen. Teens will receive email notifications when their parent or guardian has set up the new filter.

Visit Meta’s Family Center to access Meta Quest Platform supervision tools and expert-backed resources on well-being and online safety to help you support your teen’s VR experiences.

Update Apps During Shutdown

Nothing’s more annoying than putting on your Meta Quest headset and clicking on a game only to find out it needs an update, right?

With v53, we’re trying to minimize how often that happens. When you’re done with your headset, you’ll now have the ability to update apps before the device is shut down. You can simply take off your headset, plug it in, and go about your business while the headset does its thing. And when you come back? This will help minimize the number of app updates that you have to complete the next time you want to jump into VR.

If you do not want to update your apps before the device is shutdown, you can opt out in the power off dialog.

Advanced Camera Settings and Stereo Audio

Last September, in the v44 update, we introduced a variety of Advanced Camera Settings—namely, image stabilization, plus the ability to choose your frame rate, bit rate, and aspect ratio. These tools enabled you to better capture and share your favorite VR gaming moments, whether it was setting a new high score in Beat Saber or silly antics in Gorilla Tag.

With v53, we’re officially moving these Advanced Camera Settings from the Experimental Settings panel into Camera Settings. For most people, the default settings are still optimal, but if you’re regularly sharing videos on Instagram or YouTube and want to have more control, feel free to give them a look. Just be aware that there are still tradeoffs, e.g. enabling image stabilization decreases the field of view of your resultant videos. You might need to explore and adjust your settings before finding what combination works best for you.

We’re also beginning to roll out a new feature with v53. With this new update, video recordings will capture stereo audio instead of mono, so people who watch your Breachers highlight reels will hear the enemy sneaking up on your left before you snipe ‘em, same as you did in-headset.

Watch Twitch in the Meta Quest Browser

A small improvement related to the Meta Quest Browser: As of v53, you can log into Twitch. Want to watch people stream POPULATION: ONE now that it’s free-to-play and dissect the new meta? It’s a bit of a headset-inside-a-headset situation, but you can do it.

Or anything, really. Watch your favorite streamers, chat, follow and subscribe—it should be seamless now.

WiFi 6E Comes to Meta Quest Pro

Lastly, as promised, we’re rolling out a feature specific to Meta Quest Pro: WiFi 6E support.

If you’ve got a WiFi 6E-capable network at home, you’ll now be able to find and connect to it with Meta Quest Pro for speeds up to 1.6Gbps. Enjoy faster downloads and streaming, sure—but more importantly you’ll have an even faster connection to your local PC for remote desktop streaming. That’ll come in handy whether you’re knocking out some work in Meta Horizon Workrooms or Immersed, or enjoying Asgard’s Wrath or BONEWORKS wirelessly via Air Link.

That’s it for v53—for more details, check out the v53 Release Notes. And stay tuned to the Meta Quest Blog for details on upcoming software updates, game releases, and everything else VR-related.