Meta has announced that it is adding new features dedicated to fitness on its Meta Quest headsets: the integration of Health Connect to synchronize its training data and the association with heart rate sensors via Bluetooth.
At the start of the year, Meta is emphasizing fitness and sport with its virtual reality headsets, taking advantage of the sporting resolutions of many users. The brand has indicated that it is rolling out two new features for its VR headsets: the arrival of Health Connect and the pairing of heart rate sensors, as reported The Verge.
Health Connect arrives on Meta Quest: what it will bring
As a reminder, Health Connect is Google’s health API, created in collaboration with Samsung almost a year ago. It makes it possible to pool health data collected by connected objects and sports applications on smartphones. The interest is to share this data with other applications and this is what Meta does today.
We can now synchronize the data collected during Quest Move VR training in the Google Fit health application, for example, automatically. Good news for Android users, who were previously less well off: integration with Apple Health was implemented last June.
By default, movement statistics are stored locally on Meta Quest headsets: they are only shared with the manufacturer’s servers if this data is synchronized with the Meta Quest application. A sharing that is necessary if you want to use Health Connect.
As indicated The Verge“Meta also clarifies that the data you choose to share is end-to-end encrypted and will not be used for targeted advertising. That said, when you enable this type of API, you also agree to a separate set of privacy policies and terms and conditions.“. This implies that one must also accept the conditions of Google Health Connect and all third-party applications that are connected to the API.
Heart rate can finally be displayed in real time in Meta’s VR headsets
Another novelty: you can connect a Bluetooth heart rate monitor to the brand’s virtual reality headsets. This allows you to see your heart rate in real time, which is displayed, just as it was already the case with the calories burned or the duration of the current exercise. In addition to that, we can overlay this information in any video game or VR application.
For now, “Compatible heart rate monitors are Garmin HRM-Dual and Polar H10 chest straps“. Other Bluetooth heart rate monitors and smartwatches may work, but it’s not guaranteed, as Meta’s system appears to use the ANT+ protocol.
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