Spatial Phone for Meta Quest 3 mirrors your smartphone into the VR headset
From YouTube to WhatsApp: Spatial Phone brings your phone apps to virtual reality. Getting started is tricky, but the payoff might be worth it.
The new “Spatial Phone: Mirror & Control” app lets you view and control your Android phone's screen directly in your VR headset. Whether you want to check WhatsApp messages in mixed reality or stream YouTube music during a game of Eleven Table Tennis, it's now possible without removing your headset.
Created by solo developer “butter chicken pizza,” this practical solution aims to keep you immersed in VR. Here's how it performs in real-world testing.
- Note: Spatial Phone currently works only with Android 8 and newer devices, with an iPhone version coming soon. The app costs $5.
Entry hurdle: Companion app
Getting the app up and running takes some effort. You'll need to install a companion app on your phone through Google Play. While Spatial Phone opens the Quest browser to help you find it, the Google login process has issues, and finding the app directly in the Play Store on my Smartphone didn't work either.
The hand-tracking controls work just as precisely in Spatial Phone as they do in the Quest menu. | Picture: butter chicken pizzaI found a workaround by sending myself the Play Store link through WhatsApp for Meta Quest. It's not the smoothest process, but it gets the job done. The real frustration comes from the pairing process.
To connect your headset and phone, you need to enter a ten-digit code mixing numbers with upper and lowercase letters. Typing in passwords in VR is already tedious, but distinguishing between similar characters like the letter O and the number 0, or capital I and lowercase l, makes it even more challenging. The developer has acknowledged this issue on Discord and plans to streamline the process in a future update.
I'm in!
Once you clear these initial hurdles, your phone screen appears as a window in your VR environment within seconds. Before you can control your phone using Quest controllers or hand tracking, you'll need to enable an accessibility setting on your Android device. The app helpfully guides you to the right menu with a single tap.
The control scheme works smoothly — whether using hand tracking or VR controllers, I could easily navigate between screens, scroll through websites, and play YouTube videos without touching my phone.
However, some limitations exist. The app stops working if your phone screen goes to sleep, requiring both the companion app and phone display to stay active. You also need to repeat the pairing process and enter that lengthy code every time you launch the VR app.
Testing with a Samsung Galaxy S24 revealed some issues — occasional black screens, frozen images, and problems with audio transfer to the headset. While apps like YouTube, WhatsApp, and web browsers display clearly in VR, mirroring the Netflix app on Quest 3 currently doesn't work.
My verdict on Spatial Phone: Exciting app with room for improvement
Despite its rough edges, Spatial Phone shows promise. The image quality is sharp, and the frame rate is generally smooth, with only occasional stuttering. Once configured, the controls feel precise and responsive.
Technical issues vary by phone model, ranging from connection issues to app crashes. The required re-pairing at each launch currently makes it less convenient than simply switching to mixed reality for a quick phone check.
However, given the developer's active community engagement and frequent updates, this affordable tool could soon become essential for Quest users wanting seamless phone access in VR. The foundation is solid — it just needs some polishing to reach its full potential.
What do you think of Spatial Phone? Join the conversation on Facebook, Bluesky or X or share your opinion in the comments below.
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