Meta Quest v66 Update: Reduced Passthrough Distortion, Background Audio Support, and More

With v66, we’re reducing the amount of visual distortion in Passthrough on Meta Quest 3. We’ve put out a number of Passthrough-related improvements in the last few software updates, but this is the big one, and it will significantly improve the Mixed Reality experience.

We’re also ensuring that audio keeps playing after you minimize 2D apps, improving hand tracking by adding a new button on your wrist to quickly access system-level features, and adjusting how our Parental Supervision tools work for parents and guardians who manage multiple teens or children ages 10-12.

Read on for more details—and remember, our software updates roll out gradually, and this month’s features even more gradually. You might not see v66 hit your headset today, but don’t worry, it’s on its way, with the Passthrough and Parental Supervision updates arriving later this month.

Improved Passthrough Experience

Back in v64, we made a number of improvements to Passthrough, adjusting exposure, colors, and contrast to deliver a more realistic image in Mixed Reality.

With v66, we’ve improved image quality even further, refining Meta Quest’s software to significantly reduce image distortion in Passthrough, so that your hands and other objects look more natural in Mixed Reality. This improvement also reduces the warping effect around these objects while in motion.

You may also notice that your virtual hands now align better with the image of your real-world hands in Passthrough, making it more natural to interact with virtual objects and panels in Mixed Reality.

We’re rolling out these Passthrough improvements gradually to ensure there are no unforeseen issues—meaning that even if you have v66, you might still not see any changes for a little bit. We appreciate your patience though, and look forward to getting this in everyone’s hands as soon as possible!

Background Audio

Sometimes you just need some background noise, right? A podcast, a video, an album—something to listen to while playing 18 holes of GOLF+ or hanging out with friends in Meta Horizon Worlds.

Today we’re excited to announce that we’re improving how background audio works for 2D apps on Meta Quest. Now you can launch a 2D app like the Browser, play music or a video, and minimize the app without automatically pausing playback. Multitaskers and music lovers, rejoice!

Wrist Buttons

We’re improving the hand tracking experience in v66 by rolling out a new experimental feature that makes the Meta Quest menus slightly more accessible. With this feature enabled, you’ll now see buttons on your wrists with the Meta and Menu icons.

Like the corresponding buttons on your controllers, tapping these wrist buttons will pop open (or close) the in-game and system-level menus. You can use the Meta button to bring up the main menu inside games and apps, so you can quickly and easily access features like casting and screenshots, adjust your headset’s settings, or jump between experiences.

You can enable this feature by toggling it on in the Experimental Settings panel. (You can also swap the locations of the Meta and Menu buttons in the Settings menu.)

Parental Supervision Updates

We’re also making a few changes to the way our Parental Supervision features work on Meta Quest. Starting June 27, teens and children ages 10-12 (age may vary by region) who are supervised by the same parent or guardian will automatically be able to see each other in the Family Center.

You won’t need to do anything on your end! If you’re already using Parental Supervision features for teens or children, this change will happen automatically—and if you’re not, but would like to set up Parental Supervision, visit the Family Center to get started.

Check out the v66 Release Notes for a more in-depth look at these features and more, and we’ll be back soon with another Meta Quest software update.