Horizon OS v2.9 Rolls Out to Quest With a Window Manager, QR Scanner and Classic Homes

Meta has started rolling out Horizon OS v2.9 to Quest 3, Quest 3S, Quest Pro and Quest 2, bringing its window overhaul out of the test channel, according to MIXED and Meta's official Quest release notes. The update arrives gradually from the week of October 19, so not every headset has it yet.

What's new

• Window Manager: found in Quick settings, it lists every open window and can place three windows side by side or stack them. Apps now launch spatially, so they can be dragged anywhere in the room.
• Wall snapping: move a window close to a wall and it attaches there. The separate anchor button has been removed, and each window gets its own grab handle.
• QR code scanner: built in on Quest 3 and 3S, opened from Quick controls, the Camera app, search, or by asking Meta AI.
• Classic VR Home environments: some older Home environments return, rebuilt for the current VR Home, selectable in Settings.
• Fixes for common annoyances: a Touch controller troubleshooter under Settings > Devices > Controllers, boundary setup that falls back to your previous boundary or Stationary mode if a scan is interrupted, and settings search that works offline.
• Input prompts: a notification now tells you when an immersive app needs you to switch between controllers and hand tracking.

On Quest 3 and 3S, the experimental Surface Keyboard and Touchpad now also works in fully virtual environments, not just passthrough.

Meta AI in six more countries

The update brings Meta AI to Quest owners in Australia, Japan, Mexico, the UK, South Korea and Singapore, and adds German, French, Korean, Japanese, UK English, Spanish and Italian. MIXED notes that the wider language list does not mean wider availability: Germany, France, Spain and Italy are not among the new countries. Owners turn the assistant on in System settings once v2.9 reaches their headset.

What's next

Meta's release notes already list a v2.10 Public Test Channel build from the week of October 26. It adds a Theater option that shows supported video apps on a cinema-scale screen while hiding other windows, and avatar video calls in the Chats app.