SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 4, 2026, 02:25 PST
- Meta’s Horizon OS v85 beta adds an experimental “Surface Keyboard and Touchpad” for Quest 3 users
- The update also starts phasing out the Horizon Feed and rolls out a new Navigator interface
- Meta is adding security and login changes, including malware scanning and passkey support
Meta Platforms is testing a new “Surface Keyboard and Touchpad” feature on its Quest 3 headset that can pin a virtual keyboard onto a desk or table, part of a broader Horizon OS v85 update now reaching users in its Public Test Channel (PTC), a pre-release beta program. The same update removes the Horizon Feed panel and begins rolling out a new Navigator interface, while adding security and sign-in changes such as automated malware scanning and passkey support, Android Central reported. (Android Central)
The timing matters because typing remains a stubborn weak spot for virtual and mixed reality headsets, especially as companies pitch them as tools for work, messaging and web use rather than only games. Meta has pushed frequent software updates, but input and navigation are the choke points that decide whether a headset feels like a device you can live in for hours.
The v85 release lands as Meta tries to widen the appeal of Quest beyond the core VR crowd, while Apple and other rivals keep building out their own “spatial computing” stacks. Better text entry is unglamorous, but it is the kind of thing that changes day-to-day use.
Windows Central said the Surface Keyboard is being tested in v85 PTC and is limited to the Quest 3, not the lower-cost Quest 3S. Yoon Park, a principal designer at Meta Reality Labs, posted a video of the feature and wrote: “Excited to share that Surface Keyboard & Touchpad is now available on Meta Quest 3 via the v85 PTC channel under Experimental Features!” (Windows Central)
Gizmodo’s James Pero, who tried the feature, said the keyboard appears after users enable it in settings and place their hands on a flat surface, with the headset using its external cameras to align the keys. Pero said typing felt faster and more accurate than air-typing on a floating virtual keyboard, though he said the attached touchpad was inconsistent, registering correctly only “about 40% of the time.” (Gizmodo)
Tom’s Guide’s Jason England also tested it and described the keyboard as accurate once the headset scans the surface, but warned that typing directly on hard desks can become uncomfortable quickly. England said the touchpad felt less reliable than the keyboard and suggested it is best for short bursts rather than long sessions. (Tom’s Guide)
Beyond the keyboard, v85 is a sweeping polish pass. Meta is adding a privacy indicator and a malware scan that runs after app installs, and it is introducing passkeys — a password alternative that typically uses a device PIN or biometrics — in the Quest browser, Android Central said.
The same update also starts unwinding Meta’s push to surface Horizon content by default. Meta said it is removing the Horizon Feed panel because it “has not driven strong entitlement conversion,” Android Central reported, and the company is shifting home screens toward a simplified Navigator layout over the coming weeks.
Competitors are chasing the same problem from different angles. Apple’s Vision Pro leans on eye and hand tracking for input, while other headset makers have pushed Bluetooth keyboards, controller typing or voice dictation. Meta’s approach here looks like an attempt to make “no keyboard nearby” less of a deal-breaker.
But the downside is baked in: the feature is experimental, delivered via beta software, and performance will vary with lighting, surfaces and tracking conditions. Reviewers also flagged that PTC builds can be unstable, and Meta has not said when — or if — Surface Keyboard will ship broadly outside the test channel.
