The holidays are probably the absolute worst time for a software update to render Meta’s Quest headsets unusable, but that’s exactly the situation we find ourselves in right now. According to reports on Reddit And Meta’s own forumsusers are experiencing issues with brand new and existing Quest 2, Quest 3 and Quest 3S headsets essentially locking themselves into an error message or a never-ending black screen after installing their most recent software.
It’s not entirely clear what’s causing the bug, although a popular theory on Meta’s forums seems to focus on devices that haven’t been used in a while. While users with the latest Quest firmware can update their devices just fine, those updating from older versions of the firmware are more likely to encounter issues (including me, although my headset is currently a few hundred miles away from the firmware ). away from me, so I’ll have to rely on user reports instead).
However, according to Reddit, the problem also appears to be common with newer headsets. Here, users report that brand new headsets will attempt the update as soon as they are turned on, and will receive an error message once the update is complete.
It’s possible that new headsets that have been on the shelf for a while are also using outdated firmware, but a common thread on both Reddit and Meta forums is that factory resets don’t help and should be avoided. Chances are you just can’t boot up, but are stuck on a black screen until you give up.
Although members of the Meta forum say customer service initially wasn’t helpful other than suggesting they buy a refurbished Quest as a replacement, the company has since changed its tune. Currently, Meta suggests Quest owners experiencing this issue should try restarting the headset by turning it off and then pressing and holding the power button for 45 seconds before releasing it.
It’s not a guaranteed solution, but it’s better than nothing. Presumably a more robust fix is on the way, as Meta says it’s working to resolve the issue “as quickly as possible.”
For now, Redditors experiencing this issue are advising new Quest owners not to turn on their headsets, while existing Quest owners should hold off on updates. Presumably new Quest owners could also turn on their headset in a location without WiFi to avoid the update, although functionality on a new headset without internet access will be severely limited.
