Zoom Launches VR App on Meta Quest for All Users

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Synopsis

Zoom’s immersive VR app on Meta Quest now allows both free and paid users to join video calls in virtual reality, signaling a significant shift toward immersive workspaces.

Key takeaways

• Standalone VR app ditches Horizon Workspace restrictions
• Works with Quest 2, 3, 3S, Pro, and passthrough mode
• Pushes Zoom’s immersive, AI-powered meeting vision
• Raises debate on VR practicality vs. hype in workplaces

Zoom ditches horizon, goes standalone

Until now, joining Zoom meetings in VR required Meta’s Horizon Workrooms and a paid Zoom plan, restricting adoption.

The new standalone Quest app removes these barriers, allowing anyone—free or paid Zoom users—to join meetings directly in VR.

This democratization aims to test whether making immersive meetings accessible to all can drive mainstream VR meeting adoption.

By eliminating the previous dependency on Meta’s collaborative workspace, Zoom gains direct control over the VR meeting experience while expanding its hybrid work ecosystem.

Mixing real with virtual

The app’s passthrough mode allows users to see their physical environment while attending VR meetings, using the Quest’s external cameras to blend real and virtual spaces.

This mode is crucial in reducing VR headset fatigue and the sense of isolation that often deters long-term VR use.

While passthrough helps users monitor their environment (like checking notes or grabbing coffee without removing the headset), it also raises questions about whether users truly need VR to enhance their meeting experience or if it simply adds complexity for a sense of novelty.

Pushing an immersive, AI-powered vision

Zoom’s VR app aligns with its recent strategy of embracing AI avatars, Vision Pro persona integration, and immersive features for meetings.

The platform has already introduced AI-generated avatars that can stand in for users, creating opportunities for asynchronous participation in meetings.

This strategy suggests Zoom sees immersive and AI-driven presence as the next evolution of work, aiming to reduce camera fatigue while enabling a more expressive and personalized meeting environment.

However, these advances also invite discussions around authenticity, control, and the emotional disconnect of having a virtual avatar or AI persona represent you.

Metaverse innovation or gimmick?

Despite growing interest in virtual and immersive tools, VR meetings have not become a daily norm in most workplaces.

Webcam-based video calls still dominate due to familiarity and ease of access.

With this VR app, Zoom is challenging this status quo, betting that enhanced immersion and avatar-based interactions will offer superior collaboration and engagement.

Yet, skeptics argue this move may simply be a repackaging of the “metaverse promise” that hasn’t proven practical for everyday workflows, especially in environments requiring quick, low-barrier, and device-agnostic meetings.

Zoom’s standalone VR app could redefine meetings by making immersive calls accessible to all, or it could be another tech experiment chasing metaverse hype.