Latest Meta Quest 3 update improves mixed-reality passthrough yet again, and brings more iPhone-exclusive features

A new month, a new Meta Quest 3 headset update. V64 may have only landed (checks notes) 21 days ago, but we’ve got yet another upgrade courtesy of Horizon OS version v65.

Keeping up with the déjà vu, v65 brings with it yet another upgrade to passthrough, which was only just upgraded in v64, which added both exposure and dynamic range improvements, and an upgrade that makes it easier to see your real-world furniture while in VR and MR.

Now, Meta is finally giving players the option to stay immersed in mixed reality through their whole Quest 3 experience. 

Previously, when you were in the lock screen, power-off screen, and a few other important menus, you’d be trapped in a gray VR void. Now, if you're using MR home you’ll find yourself instead surrounded by your real-world space just like you would in any other mixed reality experience.

Sure it's not the most flashy upgrade, but considering Meta’s monthly release schedule we’re not going to complain if some updates are simpler quality-of-life improvements rather than earth-shaking changes.

A Meta Quest 3 player sucking up Stay Puft Marshmallow Men from Ghostbusters in mixed reality using virtual tech extending from their controllers

Mixed reality from start to finish (Image credit: Meta)

Some iPhone-exclusive upgrades 

Beyond better passthrough, Meta has also introduced a few features for iPhone users specifically – perhaps in an attempt to further convince Apple fans they don't need to shell out for an Apple Vision Pro, or wait for the now apparently delayed cheaper follow-up.

The first feature change comes to spatial video. Playback appeared via update v62 back in February, and if you had an iPhone 15 Pro you could upload your stereoscopic videos straight from your phone to your headset using the Meta Quest mobile app.

Now you can upload your videos via any iPhone running iOS 17 or later – though capturing spatial video is still an exclusive iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max feature (unless the iPhone 16 refresh brings it to more affordable models later this year).

Panorama images on the Meta Quest 3 showing a beautiful hillside

(Image credit: Meta)

Meta is also adding better support for still panoramic images. Alongside videos, you can now upload your panoramic shots from your iPhone to your Quest headset via the mobile app.

So, rather than simply viewing your shot on a flat screen, you can be re-immersed in the location where you took it. Again this has to be uploaded via an iPhone running iOS 17 or later.

There's no word yet on when or if these features will come to Android devices, but we expect they will – especially if new Android devices start to introduce camera setups that can record spatial videos.

With a Samsung XR headset – which Google is helping to make – on the way, we wouldn't be surprised if this phone camera happened. But we’ll have to wait and see what Android phone makers announce in the coming weeks.

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YouTube Premium’s best video feature might no longer be iPhone-exclusive

It looks like YouTube’s 1080p Premium video quality is finally rolling out to Android devices for paying subscribers, after a brief period of iOS exclusivity.

If you're an active YouTube Premium member – it costs $ 11.99 / £11.99 / AU$ 14.99 per month – and use an iOS device like an iPhone 14, you can currently watch videos in ‘1080p Premium’ quality. These are like regular HD videos, but are streamed using a higher bitrate, which means the video is less compressed, and so should look crisper and more detailed.

It looks like this upgrade won’t be exclusive to the best iPhones for much longer, as Android phone and Google TV users who pay for YouTube Premium are reporting that they can see the 1080p Premium video option (via 9to5Google). Right now the feature doesn’t appear to be widespread, and reportedly the users don’t see the option all the time, but this seemingly inadvertent rollout suggests that 1080p Premium will soon be available for more YouTube users.

Google has yet to say when 1080p Premium will officially roll out for Android, but be on the lookout for an update to the app in the coming days and weeks. If you want to take advantage of the upgrade, remember that you’ll also have to sign up for YouTube Premium.

As for those of you who want to keep using YouTube for free, you’ll still have access to the same 1080p HD-quality videos you had before – just without the added benefits of the higher bitrate.

Should you subscribe to YouTube Premium?

Poeple watching a YouTube video together while in a Google Meet video call.

(Image credit: YouTube)

If you use YouTube a lot then you've probably thought about signing up for Premium, especially as the company has steadily introduced more reasons for you to subscribe.

Higher-bitrate videos, the ability to download videos for offline viewing, and Google Meet group watch-alongs are a few of the upgrades to the YouTube service that await Premium members. You’ll also be able to watch YouTube ad-free (ignoring any ads that the creator bakes into the video).

The ad-free feature is getting better too – although for the wrong reasons. Earlier this year YouTube announced that unskippable ads will be getting longer (they can now be up to 30s) on your Google TV, and it’s playing around with “pause experiences” – adverts that appear around the video whenever you pause it. As ads become more annoying, the ability to switch them off becomes more appealing.

That said, YouTube Premium is pretty darn pricey; $ 11.99 / £11.99 / AU$ 14.99 is more than you’d pay for a number of the best streaming services, so it’ll only be worth it if you use YouTube a lot.

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