Meta had almost succeeded in her overhaul … until a gray cloud comes to spoil everything. It took an express change behind the scenes to finally make the Quest interface more pleasant to use.
Since the end of May, Meta Test A new user interface on Questbaptized Navigatorvia Horizon OS V77. Accessible only to registrants of Public Test Channelshe promised a better system experience. Fast commands, library, camera or notifications are now displayed in direct overlap, without disturbing other active applications.
Instead of opening floating windows as before, everything is grouped in a more coherent central panel. Users can also pin ten applications In the library, like a mini start menu. Until then, the update seemed rather welcome.
The visual error that bothered everything
But a visual detail annoyed many testers: Oval and semi-opaque gray background imposed by default. This troubled background aimed to improve the contrast, but also masked the VR environment and visually weighed down the interface.
The effect looked like a floating grayish cloud, which broke the general readability of the system. There have been many returns, especially on community networks and forums. This aesthetic choice became a distraction in an environment supposed to remain fluid and clear.
In early July, several testers found that this background had mysteriously disappeared. The gray cloud was replaced by a simple gentle attenuation of the backgroundwhich leaves visible the underlying virtual world.
This change has not been announced in an official notebut gradually imposed itself on all users of the PTC Canal. It marks a clear improvement in visual comfort, especially when sailing between several interfaces without leaving an application in progress.
The manager? Andrew Bosworth himself
During a session « Ask Me Anything » On Instagram, Andrew Bosworth, Meta technical director, spoke. He explained that he himself had validated the withdrawal of the gray cloud after discovering it too late. “I didn’t like the visual effect at all that it gave”he said, adding that he had intervened personally to delete him.
This small adjustment, decided internally, has largely changed the perception of the new Quest interface. Users now salute A more readable overhaulless bulky and much better integrated into the Quest ecosystem.
A gradual deployment always pending
Despite this welcome improvement, Navigator remains confined to the beta channel of the Horizon OS system. Meta has not yet indicated a precise date for its broadcast on the stable channel, but announced a gradual implementation in the coming months.
This approach makes it possible to refine some details more before a global launch. In the meantime, the testers take advantage of a much more pleasant version to use … without clouds on the horizon.