Meta will soon be updating the Quest 2’s Occulus Move app to give iPhone users new ways to keep track of their workout stats from their smartphones.
Starting next month, the Oculus mobile app will be updated on Android and iOS devices so that you can find an easy readout of your activity metrics and see how well you’re progressing toward your fitness goals.
Once this update goes live, you'll no longer have to strap on your VR headset to see how many calories you burned while playing the Quest 2's best fitness games.
Additionally, those of you with an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch will be able to sync your Oculus Move data with the Apple Health tracker automatically. That means Apple’s Health app will soon become an even better way to keep on top of your workout regime.
If you're on Android, though, you'll still have to use an external fitness tracker like a FitBit to see all of your workouts in one place.
Much like how you have to choose to turn on the Oculus Move app, the use of all of these new health features will be entirely opt-in. As such, you don’t have to worry about your health data being tracked without you knowing.
For those of you that now see your VR headset as an essential part of your daily routine, these new activity monitoring tools could be incredibly helpful for staying in shape.
Analysis: one day we’ll all excercise in VR
These latest efforts, plus Meta’s recent push of sports titles (especially during the Olympic Games), show that the brand is keen to expand the health benefits of its Quest headsets.
From our own experience, the Quest 2 can be an enjoyable way to work out. Sure it’s not quite as impactful as hitting the gym, but given the physical nature of its games and experiences you can seriously work up a sweat.
On top of that, the immersive environments and experiences make for a great distraction that stops you from noticing your fatigue right away, allowing you to push yourself that little bit harder.
You just need to try some of the best VR games like Supernatural and Beat Saber to experience this for yourself. Thanks to their surround sound music and visually stunning environments it's easy to forget that you're actually working out hard to achieve those top scores.
Because of this, it’s no surprise fitness firms like LiteBoxer are taking an interest in VR. As more of these Oculus Move updates and exercise tools get added to the Quest 2, we’ll likely see the device become an even more important part of people’s fitness routines.
This latest update adding Apple Health Support is likely just a taste of what’s to come.
- Check out: the best Quest 2 games that you can play today
