The holidays are the absolute worst time for a software update to render Meta’s Quest headsets unusable, but that’s exactly the situation users have been facing over the past week. According to posts on Reddit and Meta’s own forums, users have been experiencing issues with brand new and existing Quest 2, Quest 3, and Quest 3S headsets that are essentially locking themselves into either an error message or a never-ending black screen after installing their most recent software update. Luckily, the situation seems to be largely resolved, although there’s still a few wrinkles to iron out.
New and old headsets are affected
It’s not entirely clear what caused the bug, although a popular theory across Meta’s forums seems to center on devices that haven’t been used in a while. Essentially, while users running the most recent Quest firmware seemed to be able to update their devices just fine, those updating from older versions of the firmware were more likely to encounter problems (that would include me, although my headset is currently a few hundred miles away from me, so I’ll have to rely on user reports instead).
However, the issue also appears to be common on newer headsets, according to Reddit. Here, users report that brand new headsets will attempt the update as soon as turning on, and have been locking into an error message as soon as their updates complete.
It’s possible new headsets that might have been sitting on a shelf for a while would also be running outdated firmware, but one common thread across both Reddit and Meta’s forums is that factory resets aren’t helping, and should be avoided. Chances are that, if you’re affected, you’ll just be unable to boot up, and will instead be stuck on a black screen until you give up.
The problem seems to have been resolved
Meta forum members say customer service originally failed to help beyond suggesting they buy a refurbished Quest as a replacement, but the company has since changed its tune, and following an update to its support page on December 30, is saying the situation is largely resolved. Previously, Meta suggested Quest owners experiencing the issue attempt to reboot their headsets by powering them down, then holding the power button for 45 seconds before releasing it. Now, the company says that step shouldn’t even be needed, telling users that “in most cases, you are now able to use your device normally.”
What to do if you still can’t use your headset
If that “most cases” disclaimer has you nervous, Meta is currently directing those who still have unresponsive Quest 3S headsets to a link to get a free replacement. Meanwhile, those with defective Quest 2 or Quest 3 units are being told to “please reach out to us to get support.” A few community members in the latter situation have confirmed they are also being offered replacements upon contacting support.
Meta still isn’t saying exactly what happened or what the fix is, although users are speculating that the troubled update responsible for the issue is no longer being pushed out. In that case, users who have been holding off on powering on their Quest headsets after reading reports about unresponsive devices are probably now safe to turn their devices on.
That said, such a solution wouldn’t necessarily help those who already downloaded the bugged update. In addition to directing users to support, Meta says it’s still “working on resolving the issue for all users.” Perhaps a fix that doesn’t involve returning your headset is on the way.
Updated on Dec. 30 with additional information from Meta on Quest 2/3/3S support.