Lying Down Mode
Updated: Jan 27, 2025
Lying Down Mode is an Accessibility setting designed to support people who are using Meta Quest while in bed.
When Lying Down Mode is
disabled, when users reset their view by holding
, their new orientation is guaranteed to be aligned with gravity (“up” points towards the ceiling, and “down” points towards the floor).
When Lying Down Mode is
enabled, this restriction is removed. Users who are i.e. lying on their backs in bed, staring at the ceiling, can reset their view by holding
, and have an orientation where “forward” points towards the ceiling, and “up” points to the head of the bed.
Lying Down Mode can be enabled and disabled in “Settings” > “Experimental” > “Use apps while lying down”.
Disabling Lying Down Mode for your App
As an app developer, you may want to force-disable Lying Down Mode while your app is running. Two common reasons to force-disable Lying Down Mode while your app is running are:
- Your app is already designed to support lying-down users, and expects users to be facing “up”
- Your app automatically resets the user’s view in certain cases, and involves intense physical motion. A moving user could inadvertently reset their view to an orientation where “down” does not point towards the floor, causing vestibular sensory mismatches during future physical motion.
To force-disable Lying Down Mode for the lifetime of your app, add the following line to your app’s AndroidManifest.xml:
<meta-data android:name="com.oculus.app_opt_out_lying_down_mode" android:value="true" />
Users with Lying Down Enabled, upon launching an app with Lying Down Mode force-disabled, will receive the notification This app is unavailable whily lying down. Use this app in an upright position. When resetting view while running an app with Lying Down Mode force-disabled, users’ new orientation is guaranteed to be aligned with gravity.
