Sep 19, 2025

Catch Highlights from Meta Connect 2025

That’s a wrap on Meta Connect! Featuring two packed days of programming and workshops, Connect brought developers, creators, journalists, and industry leaders together to dive into the latest breakthroughs in AI glasses, metaverse technologies, and beyond.

In his keynote, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared his vision for the future of AI, including how the intersection between AI and VR is unlocking new experiences and ways of building that will be foundational to the metaverse vision. On day two, CTO Andrew Bosworth unveiled the latest opportunities worth getting excited about, including the Meta Wearables Device Access Toolkit, a new suite of resources to help you extend mobile apps and build hands-free experiences for our growing lineup of AI glasses.

Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth unveiling the Meta Wearables Device Access Toolkit

Generative AI stole the show this year as speaker sessions and demos highlighted new tools that accelerate prototyping, streamline iteration, and unlock fresh creative possibilities. Building on that momentum, Worlds and VR took center stage. Our team demonstrated how generative AI is transforming world building and VR development, making it easier than ever to design immersive experiences, publish them to global audiences, and build sustainable businesses

To support these breakthroughs, we introduced a new Meta Horizon Engine that delivers smoother performance, sharper visuals, and the capacity to support larger audiences. Designed for scale and ambition, it sets the stage for creators aiming to push the boundaries of what’s possible in worlds.

Horizon Central is built on the new Meta Horizon Engine and offers players a lively space to explore, connect with friends, and discover worlds.

To complement our new engine, we also unveiled Meta Horizon Studio, a more powerful world-building tool built for next-generation creation. Attendees also gained early insights into upcoming beta programs that will bring generative AI tools directly into VR development on Meta Horizon.

If you missed the livestream, now’s your chance to catch up on the biggest announcements and explore the topics we covered at Connect.

Learn from the Experts: Sessions Worth Tuning In To

With a mix of hands-on workshops, in-person sessions and more than 20 digital sessions streamed live, our product experts and technologists tailored digital programming for tracks dedicated to VR, worlds, wearables and Llama to give creators and developers a clear view of the opportunities ahead.

Creators collaborating in a Connect workshop focused on generative AI tools in the Worlds Desktop Editor.

Sessions spanned from exploring the strategies behind successful creators and best practices in designing mobile worlds, to optimizing VR performance and adapting Android apps for Horizon OS. If you want to catch up or rewatch, the full playlist of digital sessions is available now on the event page and YouTube.

Here are some key sessions we recommend to get started:

Overall

Build without limits: creative possibility with Meta technologies | See how developers are using Meta technologies to turn bold ideas into groundbreaking apps, immersive worlds, digital goods and AI experiences in this showcase of what’s possible when creativity meets the right tools.

Wearables

Meta Wearables Device Access Toolkit, our first developer toolkit for AI glasses | Discover how to build with AI glasses by leveraging open-ear audio and cameras that capture the user’s viewpoint to craft distinctive hands-free experiences for your mobile apps.

Worlds

Building worlds: a comprehensive overview | Learn how to kickstart your world creation journey with the Worlds Desktop Editor, discover monetization opportunities and explore how the Meta Horizon Creator Fund can help you turn ideas into income.

Speed up creation with generative AI tools that transform world building | Unlock your creative talents with the generative AI tools transforming the Worlds Desktop Editor. Join creator mentor Tellous (Matt Torres) for an eye-opening demonstration that will change how you think about world creation speed and possibility.

VR

VR 102: beyond the basics | Learn how to take your VR app from prototype to polished product with optimization tools like MQDH, XR Simulator, Building Blocks and Immersive Debugger in this hands-on session.

Your Android app, now in VR: Meta Horizon OS integration | Learn how to adapt your Android app for Horizon OS, from setup and testing to VR optimization with features like multi-panel support and passthrough camera.

Llama

Llama best practices: fine-tuning Llama models in real world | Learn how enterprises and local developers are fine-tuning Llama for specific domains, with expert strategies on model selection, optimization and advanced techniques to unlock its full potential.

Shape the Future of AI Glasses with Meta

As one of the hottest topics at Connect, we were thrilled to introduce the Meta Wearables Device Access Toolkit and highlight general use cases to enhance mobile apps and make wearable devices feel like a natural extension of daily life.

When the developer preview of the toolkit goes live later this year, you'll be able to start building with the camera and audio capabilities of AI glasses, and your feedback will help us shape where this technology goes next.

The Meta Wearables Device Access Toolkit preview is designed to explore early development with AI glasses before general availability in 2026.

When the developer preview launches, you’ll be able to:

Access tools built for innovation, including our SDK, testing tools and documentation.

Fuel unique perspectives by designing experiences that capture users’ perspectives.

Deliver hands-free experiences that enable seamless voice interaction and communication.

Unlock new mobile app possibilities made to harness the glasses form factor on-the-go.

Sign up for the developer preview today to be among the first to build with the Meta Wearables Device Access Toolkit. For more information on AI glasses with Meta, be sure to check out our blog post containing the latest details.

Deeper Experiences, Bigger Worlds and Smarter Building in Meta Horizon

Worlds is rapidly evolving beyond VR, connecting more players as mobile worlds surge in popularity and give creators new ways to expand their reach across devices. Its suite of tools is also growing to help both new and seasoned creators build more engaging and complex games, social spaces and events for people to explore. At Connect, we laid out why creators can expect major upgrades to their experiences and unlock even more creative freedom.

Generative AI tools: Soon, we’re adding two new tools that will let you create entire worlds or unique bipedal characters from simple text prompts. All creators will be able to use these bipedal characters as NPCs, and 2nd party creators will even be able to make them playable.

New Meta Horizon Engine: Better graphics, smoother travel between worlds, realistic physics and capacity for more concurrent users gives you the foundation to build deeper experiences that weren’t possible before.

Meta Horizon Studio: A powerful new tool built to take advantage of the new engine. It’s still in development, but you can apply for beta access now.

Avatar clothing: Now available for all creators in the Meta Horizon Creator Program, this feature gives you the ability to design custom fashion with your own textures and sell it in-world or in the Avatar Editor.

New Horizon Central: A brand-new hub where people can meet, shop and discover your creations, making your work easier to find.

New generative AI features make it easy to create a wide variety of NPC characters that fit the style and theme of your world.

To learn more about what’s ahead in Worlds, check out our blog post covering key creator updates from Connect.

Fueling the Magic of VR

Connect was our chance to show you a new wave of AI-driven updates for Horizon OS that make building faster, earning easier, and scaling more powerful than ever.

AI tools are coming soon to transform development for Horizon OS by speeding up prototyping and iteration, so developers can publish faster and start earning sooner. Whether you’re building in Unity or Meta Spatial SDK, these tools will help remove friction and open the door to richer, more ambitious creations.

Beyond development speed, we’re also expanding ways to engage players, grow communities, and sustain businesses. From monetization updates to technical improvements and streamlined feedback channels, the latest updates give developers more power to build, scale, and thrive on Horizon OS.

AI tools for Horizon OS will soon assist with performance optimization, troubleshooting, and code generation to accelerate development.

Engagement and monetization tools like Season Passes, the upcoming re-engagement tool and Featured Bundles help you convert more players and create lasting value.

Apps leveraging the Passthrough Camera API benefit from runtime AI improvements that enhance visuals, reduce lag and boost overall quality.

Earlier this year at GDC, Niantic Spatial shared an early look at how the Passthrough Camera API supports real time object recognition.

Backend Shader Compilation so future people automatically start with a “warm cache” leading to smoother performance with fewer frame drops and shorter load times.

Building Blocks now includes four new AI features for faster integration of Passthrough Camera Access, Object Recognition and LLM functionality.

Android and Meta Spatial SDK updates include the Android Studio plugin, Spatial Studio 2.0, spatial audio and AI assistance, making it easier to build and support real-world interactions.

Immersive Web SDK simplifies web-based builds with a Three.js foundation and high-performance entity component system.

Feedback Center streamlines how you share input, track progress and vote on impactful issues.

Samantha Ryan, VP of Metaverse Content at Meta, demonstrates new re-engagement features to help developers boost conversion rates.

Read our blog post to explore more Horizon OS announcements for VR developers from Connect.

Looking Ahead

As Connect comes to a close, one thing is clear: the future of building on our platforms is wide open. AI glasses are opening a new frontier for hands-free, on-the-go experiences. Worlds is growing with a new engine, powerful creation tools, new ways to earn and integration with Facebook and Instagram that are used by more than three billion people every month. And Horizon OS continues to evolve with AI tooling, new engagement features, and robust build paths for Android and web developers.

We can’t wait to see what you create next. To catch up on our two-day slate of programming, be sure to watch our digital sessions on YouTube and the Connect session library.

Soon, we’ll also be publishing our in-person Connect sessions to help you dive even deeper into strategies and insights. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, be sure to visit our consolidated release notes page, subscribe to our monthly newsletter in the Developer Dashboard and follow us on X and Facebook. As you start to build with the new tools and features we covered today, be sure to share your input and identify bugs using the Feedback Tool in Meta Quest Developer Hub.