Meta CTO Addresses Quest 3 Battery Setting Issue Following Bungled Horizon OS Update

Meta’s most recent Horizon OS update for Quest (v76) has caused some issues for users due to a new default Battery Saver setting. This has led to frame rate problems in apps and games. Meta CTO Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth has acknowledged the issue and stated that the company is working on a fix and reevaluating how OS updates are communicated in the future.

During a recent Instagram AMA, Bosworth addressed the complaints from users regarding the automatic activation of a more aggressive version of Battery Saver mode on Quest 3 without clear notification.

Previously, Battery Saver on Quest limited the refresh rate to 72Hz, applied fixed gaze rendering, and reduced brightness to 50%, all of which could be manually toggled on for extended battery life.

However, the latest Horizon OS release (v76) now sets a new version of Battery Saver as default, which increases the refresh rate to 90Hz but limits many games to a choppy 45FPS.

Users who were unaware of the default setting change may have experienced performance issues without understanding the cause, potentially leading to unwarranted blame on developers for poor optimization.

PSA: To disable Battery Saver on Quest 3, go to the “Power” settings in the “Device” menu within the settings app and turn off the “Power Saving Mode” option.

It’s worth noting that many Quest apps do not utilize Application Spacewarp (AppSW), which older titles used to improve frame rate by generating synthetic frames between real frames.

Bosworth mentioned that Meta is working on a fix for this issue and emphasized the importance of improving communication and documentation for OS updates. Currently, patch notes for Horizon OS updates are brief and lack detailed explanations.

Below is the full transcript of Bosworth’s comments:

Recent discussions and feedback from developers have highlighted the need for higher quality in our rollouts and changes. We are addressing the battery saver issue and rolling out a fix for it.

We acknowledge the need for stronger quality control processes before updates are released. We are committed to improving in this area and taking feedback seriously. It is our responsibility to rectify these mistakes and ensure a better experience for users.

We understand the impact of these issues on developers’ work and users’ experiences. Staggering updates helps us identify problems sooner, but we also recognize the need for better documentation.