An upcoming Quest update will reduce Bluetooth audio latency
Meta has promised a software update that will reduce Bluetooth audio latency on Quest. This could make Bluetooth headphones or ear buds a much better solution for the Meta Quest.
This interesting piece of news was not widely announced by Meta. Developer Relations Engineer AR Schleicher mentioned it in passing in a video aimed at developers, and a Reddit user (see source below) brought it to our attention over the weekend.
In the video, Schleicher introduces the Meta Quest 3S and highlights its differences from the Quest 3, noting that unlike the Quest 3, the Quest 3S no longer has a headphone jack. He then promises an Android update for the Meta Horizon OS that will reduce Bluetooth audio latency.
"You still have the built-in audio of course, and USB headphones work as well, but there's no longer a headphone jack. Bluetooth audio is an option too, and will be even better with the low latency features coming with the upgrade to Android 14, expected sometime next year," says Schleicher.
It is unclear which headsets apart from the Meta Quest 3S will benefit from the lower latency, and by how much Meta will be able to reduce latency. However, we assume that at least the Quest 3 will be supported.
Why this is important
Bluetooth audio on the Meta Quest suffers from high latency, making fast-paced games or fitness apps unplayable. If Meta can significantly reduce latency, Bluetooth audio could finally become a viable alternative to wired headphones.
Schleicher weighed in on the Reddit post, writing:
"Options for good wired headphones are slowly becoming fewer, while Bluetooth wireless options are growing. The change to support them (better) just makes sense. It would have been nice if this was a launch feature, but (for reasons I can't go into, sorry), it just didn't work out. It's coming though!
While I haven't personally had a chance to try this yet myself, I've heard (ha!) good things about it. I'm looking forward to the update!"
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