The Meta Quest browser is now faster and has gotten a very useful extension
If you use a Meta Quest headset – like the excellent Quest 3 – chances are you also use the Meta Quest browser. And it just got faster, more optimized and can now view PDF files.
Update 32.3 for the browser, released a few days ago, brings with it “Profile Guided Optimization” according to Meta. The company claims this has sped up the browser by around 15%.
Update 32.3 for the browser, released a few days ago, brings with it “Profile Guided Optimization” according to Meta. The company claims this has sped up the browser by around 15%.
From this version forward, we're making the browser faster with a compiler optimization technique called Profile Guided Optimization (PGO). This technique makes the most performance critical parts of the code run faster!
—Meta regarding update 32.3, April 2024
A new and improved tab page is also part of the update. Meta says this new tab page will help with faster load times, show users regional content and remove or resize some shelves. So expect to see your bookmarks tab and other parts of the browser layout in new places.
There is also a new experimental feature regarding the recently introduced extension support for the Meta Quest browser. Update 32.2 saw browser extensions added, and now there is an extension to view PDF files in the browser. However, being an experimental feature, Meta says this will not be available to all users for the time being.
The Meta Quest browser is a must-have app for owners of Quest headsets. It allows users to browse the internet in VR, even alongside other tasks if they wish. The browser supports multiple windows and also lets you watch videos. It can play 3D and VR content too and even lets you play songs in a game by hitting Play in the notifications to resume a song from YouTube.
Update 32.3 also comes with your standard fare of security patches and bug fixes. Reliability has been tweaked as well, so the browser should freeze or crash less going forward. This update follows other major updates to the browser in recent months like persistent audio across tabs and better fullscreen media.
If you have automatic updates enabled you should receive this update the next time you power on your headset. And with “Automatically power headset to update” enabled, the update should already be installed the next time you use your headset. You can also go to the Apps section in Settings and choose to update the browser app manually.
It took a while, but the Meta Quest browser being able to view PDFs is a step in the right direction. I’m still going to keep my fingers crossed for a major UI overhaul, though. Just saying.
If you have automatic updates enabled you should receive this update the next time you power on your headset. And with “Automatically power headset to update” enabled, the update should already be installed the next time you use your headset. You can also go to the Apps section in Settings and choose to update the browser app manually.
It took a while, but the Meta Quest browser being able to view PDFs is a step in the right direction. I’m still going to keep my fingers crossed for a major UI overhaul, though. Just saying.
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