With your Meta Quest 3 all set up, you might want to connect Bluetooth headphones to the VR headset. Well, we're here to guide you through the process.
While the Quest 3 does offer support for wired headphones, many users prefer a completely wireless experience. After all, the appeal of a truly wireless VR setup is a significant factor in their decision to pre-order Meta Quest 3 and purchase it.
In the following guide, we'll teach you how to connect Bluetooth headphones to Meta Quest 3, so you can elevate your auditory immersion and play the best Oculus games with impeccable sound quality.
Can you connect Bluetooth Headphones to Meta Quest 3?
While Meta Quest 3 doesn't come with official support for Bluetooth headphones, it is still possible to connect your Bluetooth Headphones to the VR headset through its built-in Bluetooth feature.
However, keep in mind that due to the absence of official support, you might not yield the best performance results. There's a high possibility of encountering latency issues during usage, which could impact the overall experience.
This is because the Quest 3 does not support low-latency Bluetooth codecs such as AAC and aptX, which are essential for minimizing latency in audio transmission.
Fortunately, there's a workaround to remedy the latency issue, which we'll cover later in the article.
How to connect Bluetooth headphones to Meta Quest 3 natively
The Quest 3 features identical software and UI to the predecessor, differing primarily in resolution and battery life. Therefore, connecting Bluetooth headphones to Quest 3 follows a similar process as connecting Bluetooth headphones to Oculus Quest 2.
Here are the steps you need to take to connect your Bluetooth headphones to Meta Quest 3:
- Open the Settings menu
- Select Devices > Bluetooth
- Click the "Pair" button next to "Bluetooth Pairing"
- Put your Bluetooth headphones in pairing mode
- On your Quest 3, click "Pair New Device"
- Your Bluetooth headphones should show up in the list of discoverable devices.
- Select them from the list, and confirm the pairing
With your Bluetooth headphones now connected to the Meta Quest 3, you can verify it by playing audio on your Quest 3. However, using this method, it is likely that you'll encounter some audio lag during your time with the VR headset. We do have a solution for this, keep reading.
How to connect Bluetooth headphones to Meta Quest 3 using a dongle
To eliminate audio lag on your Meta Quest 3, the key is to connect a BT receiver that supports low latency codecs to your VR headset (via the 3.5mm jack). Once that's done, you can connect your Bluetooth headphones to this BT receiver for a seamless experience.
Remember that it's essential for your Bluetooth headphones to also support the low-latency codecs for this to work perfectly and achieve zero audio lag.
We recommend buying a headphone and BT receiver/dongle that support aptX codec. Or you can go with a headphone specifically made for Meta VR such as the Anker Wireless VR Earbuds.
And that covers all you need to know on how to connect Bluetooth headphones to Meta Quest 3. By the way, did you know that using Oculus Quest 3 while charging can actually extend its charge time?