Meta Quest 2 is one step closer to being a workout machine
Meta Quest 2 is one step closer to being a workout machine
Meta has rolled out new fitness functionality
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Meta Quest 2
🌟 Meta Quest 2 now integrates with Android’s Health Connect service
💪 You can automatically sync data between the headset and Android apps
⏲ Saving you from having to manually input data
👇 Read on for how to set up the functionality
In its latest attempt to market its headsets outside of the gaming crowd, Meta has rolled out a couple of fitness features to its Meta Quest headsets.
The VR devices now integrate with Google’s Health Connect app for Android, letting users automatically sync workout stats across fitness apps. It saves you from having to input the data into an app manually, or putting on the headset every time you want to check it.
You’ll be able to automatically import data from Quest Move – which tracks both the number of calories you burn and how long you've been physically active when using the headset – with other fitness trackers on your phone. As Meta pointed out, it brought similar integration to iOS last year.
To set up Health Connect, follow these steps:
Open the Move app in VR and tap Settings in the bottom right corner
Toggle "Connect Move to Meta Quest Mobile App" on
Next, open the app click and tap the “Connected Apps” tab at the top
Toggle “Health Connect by Android” to enable syncing.
You’ll also see a pop-up asking you to provide permissions for “Active calories burned” and “Exercise”, which you’ll need to do
As The Verge reports, it’s now also possible to pair compatible heart rate monitors with Meta Quest headsets, letting the Meta Move overlay display the metric alongside burned calories and minutes spent exercising. A full list of compatible heart rate monitors hasn’t been released, and while smartwatches may work with the headset, only the Garmin HRM-Dual and Polar H10 are known to integrate fully.
It’s currently unclear if the new features will be rolled out for the first Meta Quest model. Meta recently announced it will stop supporting the nearly four-year-old headset. Owners can expect “critical bug fixes and security patches until 2024” but no new features. Given this fitness integration first launched on iOS last year, it’s a little unclear whether Meta counts it as new.
Not that users don’t have plenty of other alternatives to choose from. HTC just announced its new Vive XR Elite aimed at both commercial and consumer uses, Matt recently went hands-on with PSVR 2 and came away very impressed, and Apple is expected to finally reveal its mixed-reality headset later this year. The future is bright for devices that strap onto your face.