App sharing across two devices?

Hey there MetaJohannes ! How awesome is it to see our customers eager to bring their families to the VR party? We're here to help you get started! You can share eligible apps with additional accounts on your device. Here is where you learn about App Sharing and how it works. However, please note that both accounts cannot be admin in order to share apps. Just head over to our website and check out this awesome article. It's packed with step-by-step instructions on how to use App Sharing. Also, if you're wanting to switch App Sharing to a different Meta Quest, we also have an article for that as well! Let us know if this has helped! We look forward to hearing from you! 

How can I add negative kudos to a reply?

The support is AI and bot optimised - copy and paste at best with the always same 'solutions'.

Long story short:
Meta only allows sharing for ONE headset per account.
had the same issue a few years ago and the support did not even bother to actually explain why they limit things like this.

There is a workaround IF you started fresh but if you already have linked purchases you are pretty much staffed and the support won't help in any way.

Let's say you have 4 devices in use as family devices.
You can use ONE headset as the shared one with all apps (except sideloaded ones and 'unknown sources).
Means on this device you set up multiple users.
Back then Meta did not even allow sharing with more than one user...
On the other devices, if linked to your account, all the apps will be available as well - BUT you won't get individual account and progress!

I highlighted the importance of not just family use to meta but also how these restrictions make no sense.
I can use parental control to limit things but this won't give game or app accounts different to the one the owner has.
Makes playing against each other or as a team literally impossible.
I was promised that this will be addressed in a future firmware release - that was two device generations ago so I am not keeping my hopes up.

In all fairness though not all is Meta's fault.
Android 12 is quite restrictive when it comes to individual user accounts and sharing things.
Something as simple as a folder everyone can access that is NOT on a network but the device is a true hassle.
Take you phone and any paid app from the store.
Whether this app works on a second or even third account on your phone is up to the Android security settings AND whatever the developer of the app had in mind.
Most don't bother too much and if the app also comes with it's own logging stuff the additional users will just start as if it was a fresh installation.
Apps and games linked to your DEVICE's hardware ID's or your Google account might not even show up for the additional users....

I don't think I can explain it 100% but I try for our headsets:
Meta links the device to the user account.
Quite the opposite to what is done in the normal Android world.
On top of that the link all purchases to the account while the security for the actually installation is done based on token generated from device hardware.
On top this security comes an additional token or two linking it to the account.
If you add another user then only this additional account token is required while all data is shared.
The additional user gets a limited space allocated for the things relevant, like game saves or progress/settings and that's it.
The developer is literally out of action here because Meta requires them to follow Meta rules and protocols.
Whatever you find in the store is for single account, single user only.
Additional users are done through Android and Meta protocols.
And since the developer needs to make living Meta limited things to just one additional user for ONE device per account.

It was after a few weeks of back and forth with the support when I seemed to have accidentally got a real human to read it for a change.
This nice guy provided a rather lengthy reply compared to what the support usually does.
In there the importance of rights and costs for developers were explained.
Sharing apps and games on a device means the developer misses out - and Meta as well because they take a good percentage from every sale.
Like for PC games there is limits and 'copy protections' in place for good reasons.
The support stated that there is basically just two options:
1: No sharing at all.
2: Limited sharing on a 'fair use' base.
As I failed to understand this I required another reply and then it became clear:
Anyone can use a freemailer Email address to get going in VR.
An authenticator app takes care of the otherwise required phone number to verify the account.
The person than creates a nice library, has a few month of fun and wants to move on.
In such a case the person could sell the headset with all purchases and the freemailer account.
While this does not happen too often (according to Meta) 'friend sharing' apparently is a concern.
Like when you have a great library of things and convinced a friend to jump into VR as well.
You register HIS headset to YOUR account and add him as a user - and so you can play all the great games together 'for free'.

I know none of this helps with your problem and financial loss....
But maybe it helps to understand that Meta has reason to limit things this way.
After all, for them it is not about the experience but the profits made 😉

 After speaking to support, they suggest you can have app sharing on two devices but a shared app can't be used on both devices at the same time.

The alternative (which works for us) is to buy the app again and gift it to the owner of the second headset.

Meta needs real family sharing. I bought second headset for my wife. We have different game tastes. But she watched me playing one game and wanted to try it out. It turns out she can't on her headset, even though I installed it there using my account. This is not like any other game service out there. Look at Steam who is also greedy as hell - but they do not piss of their customers en families. Meta, take a lesson.