Meta Quest v56 update adds a direct touch swipe keyboard and more

Recently, the V56 update for Meta Quest’s series of VR headsets has been gradually rolled out to players who have joined the public beta channel. Citing information from MIXED, like several major updates before, V56 also introduced a host of new features.

First and foremost is the introduction of the sliding keyboard, a feature most likely familiar to many from their mobile devices. Rather than pressing, users select letters by sliding across the keyboard. This keyboard capitalizes on direct touch functionality, as opposed to conventional controller or gesture control. The previously implemented direct touch feature in the V50 update has made operations within VR spaces more akin to smartphones and tablets, significantly lowering the learning curve. Building upon this foundation, the sliding keyboard could markedly enhance typing efficiency.

Image: MIXED

In addition, the Meta Quest v56 update has unveiled a completely new WiFi control panel. Though this is purely a visual update, with no changes in functionality, the new design is more suitable for larger screens. Given that the system’s underpinnings were changed to Android 12L in the prior V51 update, it stands to reason that this control panel is part of the Android 12L components.

Image: MIXED

This update also allows users to independently activate the local dimming on the Quest Pro, enhancing the display performance of the Quest Pro’s mini LED panel by deepening the dark areas and brightening the light ones. Previously, this feature was left to developers to enable, but now users updated to V56 can find this feature toggle within the experimental options.

If you have opted to join the public beta channel in the Meta Quest App, you may receive the V56 push. While the current official system is V55, which was released on June 21st, it seems that numerous users are yet to receive the upgrade.