System Menu appears on finger pinch – how to disable it?

Update (Quest OS v81.1034 – Nov 05, 2025):

I just noticed that in the newest Quest OS build (v81.1034), the option for the Wrist Meta Button has been hidden from the Advanced Settings menu.
The official Wrist Buttons design doc is still live and unchanged, so I’m hoping this might be part of a larger revision or fix related to the pinch-activation behavior mentioned above.

It would be great if that’s the case — the feature has a lot of potential when refined.
I’ll keep an eye on future updates, but I wanted to note this change in case it helps confirm that the team is already working on improvements.

Hi again, just checking if this observation about the Wrist Meta Button pinch behavior has been shared with the OS or UX team yet.
It still seems inconsistent with the design doc (pinch triggers even with both hands visible), so I wanted to confirm whether this is being tracked as a potential system issue.

Thanks GATORSAURU5​  for the clarification from the Meta team, and thanks @CoalCar-Shane for sharing your insights as well.
I completely understand that the System Menu gesture is system-wide and shouldn’t be remapped within apps.

However, according to Meta’s official Wrist Buttons design doc, it said:
The wrist button appears in 2 opposing forms, a button on the user’s primary arm’s wrist and the user’s secondary arm’s wrist ... A single tap or press can be performed on both wrist buttons, while a long press can only be performed on the Meta wrist button.

That design actually seems like the perfect solution to my original problem (accidental menu openings during normal two-hand interactions).
In addition, the pinch gesture is intended only for single-hand use

But currently, on Quest 3, the OS still triggers the System Menu with a pinch even when both hands are visible and Wrist Meta Button mode is enabled, which doesn’t match the intended behavior described in the documentation.

This might indicate a bug or unintended system behavior, rather than a deliberate UX decision.

Would it be possible for the OS team to review this logic so that the pinch gesture only activates the System Menu when one hand is tracked, and the wrist-tap gesture is required when both hands are visible?

This would stay consistent with Meta’s own design guidelines while preventing accidental activations and preserving accessibility for single-hand users.

Thanks for your reply!

I understand that the System Menu cannot be disabled because it’s a safety feature — that makes sense.

However, I wonder if it’s possible to relocate or remap the System Menu gesture instead of disabling it.
For example, could it be triggered by tapping a small button or hotspot on the user’s wrist (like a wrist-mounted menu), rather than the current pinch gesture?

That way, the safety menu would still remain accessible, but users wouldn’t accidentally open it during natural hand interactions in hand-tracking mode.

Is there any existing setting, API, or design guidance for customizing the System Menu gesture location or trigger area?

Thanks again for your time!

 Naetib

Hello there!

You cannot disable the System menu as it is a safety feature incase of an app malfunctioning. I am unable to give any suggestions regarding third party apps or work arounds that may disable this safety feature. 

Hope this helps!