I bought my quest and i see it needs a mobile, a google account, wifi and tons of permisions for the mobile. I just want to play it without needing all that. When i bought the product no where they were saying all those requisites, neither was on the box.
Another issue has just come up for me: my Quest 3 doesn’t seem to be updating to the newer OS versions. I was thinking of doing a factory reset to start fresh, but the problem is that this requires the Meta Horizon phone app—presumably the latest version. I can no longer update the app on my old phone, so if I do a reset, I might not even be able to set up my headset again.
There’s a chance it might work with the older version of the app I currently have, but if I ever delete that version, I wouldn’t be able to reinstall it, since the phone tries to install the newest version, which fails.
Having to worry about doing a factory reset—and similarly about reinstalling the phone app just to use the headset—is completely absurd. The Quest 3 should not require a phone or external app at all just to be set up and used.
The data mining BS phone requirement has forced us to shelve these devices and all the after market accessories we bought with them (cases, comfort kit, batteries, charging stands...). After a $2K learning experience, they're now shelfware and no longer in use. If anybody would like to buy a pair cheap let me know. We dont do Oculus or Meta in our house...
So why did you buy them? Did you not check the requirements first? You could have bought different headsets that suit your needs.
Meta doesn't list such requirements (must use private cell phone, allow all access, data consumption and use etc.) on the box...it wouldn't fit, could not have been made to fit the legal requirements of every region, and it would have resulted in EXTREMELY poor sales outside the US. But you already knew all that - ragebater.
You can set up a Meta Quest without always relying on a phone, but the initial setup usually requires the Meta app on a mobile device to link your account. After that, most features can be managed directly on the headset.
So, in other words, there is literally no official way to avoid all the phone crap as a matter of default. It's great we mostly don't have to use the app after we've already had to install it, create accounts, give them some of out details, tie it to the headset just to be able to make it actually useable, etc. But that's largely missing the point of the problem, at least as I'm looking at it. I want to be able to simply turn on and use my bought and paid for Meta Quest headset out the box, and everything else external to that should be optional. It's not a consumer friendly setup at all right now, and I'm not going to remotely defend Meta on this one.
I want someone to create a petition to make Meta remove any requirement to connect a phone or install a phone app at all to use our standalone Quest 3 headsets. Right now, we can't even use the device we've bought and paid for out the box unless we link it to some smartphone first in some way--that should literally be illegal in my opinion. Any option to link phones and phones apps should be just that, optional and at each users discretion.
It states in all the information that you need a phone to setup your account. You do have the choice of buying a different headset if you aren't happy linking a mobile phone. The linked phone is also there for security reasons too. Why would you buy a device you can't use? Doesn't seem like a smart move. You could sell it maybe and buy something else ?
Nothing about this headset actually requires a smartphone—Meta is the one imposing that requirement. While the current messaging says a phone is necessary, that wasn’t made clear when I bought mine, and simply accepting the new narrative doesn’t make it an absolute.
It’s not just that you need a phone to set up the headset or access basic features; it’s the unnecessary friction and hassle that shouldn’t exist.
For example, I ran into a real issue today trying to activate the Public Test Channel to manually update my headset OS to v81 so I could try the Hyperscape Capture (Beta) app—but my phone is too old to run the current Meta Horizon app, which is required. Dead end. >:-(
Similar problems come up on the Quest 3 when trying to get refunds or review games. Refunds have to go through the mobile app or website, and reviews can’t be submitted from the headset itself—even though game pages display them there. It all feels messy, unnecessarily complicated, and completely avoidable.
And of course, if you don’t ask for better, you won’t get it.
Unfortunately it's been 7 years now since the Oculus Go came out (the first Meta headset to need a mobile) and they haven't given any indication of stopping that requirement.
It's crazy, since the Quest is basically an Android phone (without the phone bit) anyway, and other Android headsets like the Pico can do the setup in-headset.
"and other Android headsets like the Pico can do the setup in-headset."
That's the telling bit right there. The requiring a phone part literally just to use your Quest properly is simply not truly needed at some hardware level of whatever. Meta forced us all into that crap for their own "reasons" and nothing more.
Then buy a Pico😕 Nobody forced you to buy a Meta. 🤪
Unfortunately, you need a phone. This is terrible because the suggestions are to use someone else's phone. Personally, I believe they are just trying to get information so they can sell it. If I had known this and if I had not purchased other stuff to go along with this, I would return it immediately.
Requiring a phone to setup the system should not be required.
If you are Developer (only, unfortunately) u actually can activate (in my case Quest 3) headset with Meta Quest Developer Hub (I just did).
It's a little bit chunky but works:
- After factory reset, on your headset connect to Wi-Fi and all follow steps until u get Access Code (in Headset) which ask for Mobile App. Ignore that.
- Connect Headset to USB
- In Meta Quest Developer Hub select "Set Up New Device" (even if u did previously before factory reset), select headset with proper Serial Number, accept Wi-Fi (supposed to be green already as we made it in headset) and accept all steps. One of which would be to accept account from Developer Hub to be activated on headset.
- Get Your Headset and accept USB Debug Access.
- Restart Headset (can do it from Developer Hub at this point).
- At this point at bottom right corner of whole window with Access Code you supposed to get "Continue" button (click it).
- You are ready to go. 😉
PS. That's all i remember, will update this post after activating another headset.
i cant get the stupid goggles to pair. charged it, installed the app, then restart and retry. support is a myth so in the trash they go. the future, me thinks not!
This is so annoying that I actually returned mine,
The amount of data they take from mobile just doesn't make since, I bought a standalone device and I dont want to give meta my phone number and all of my mobile data, they will not let you use the device without taking all of your personal data from the mobile phone!!!
