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pon7
pon7
Inspiring
February 13, 2026
Question

Passthrough randomly disables during runtime

UE 5.5.4.  Meta XR plugin v78.

I have an apk that I sideload onto several headsets.

The app works fine while connected to my laptop for development.  Never an issue.

The packaged apk works fine on the headsets during testing.  Seems solid.

But then I'll launch the app and hand out 10+ headsets to the customers, and they walk around for a while, eventually some of the headsets lose passthrough.

The app is still running and tracking.  You can see the virtual objects, but they are on the field of black.  You can't see and of the surroundings.

Double-tapping the side of the headset simply pauses the app and takes me to the menu.  I can't get passthrough working again once this happens.

I added blueprint code that every 10 seconds checks if the passthrough object is null and, if so, initialize another passthrough, but that didn't help.

I've fired up 10 headsets let them run and walked around the room holding several of them, grabbing them all over the headsets (in case the customers are pressing some button), but I can't get the passthrough to stop working.  Hence why I don't have a log file to attach.

I'm at a loss what could be happening and how to recreate the issue.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

3 replies

pon7
pon7Author
Inspiring
March 20, 2026

I don't know why I'm even bothering to post here.  I almost never get replies.  But I don't know what else to do.

I have determined that this issue occurs when I HIDE THE CONTROLLERS IN A PELICAN CASE.

Yep, it's weird.  I know.

I sideload my APK onto 12 headsets.  I launch the app and leave headsets running.  I have the proximity sensor taped off so they don't go to sleep.

If I leave the controllers out with line-of-sight to the headset, nothing happens.  All 12 headsets will run for 2-3 hours before they die and not one of them will lose passthrough.

If, after launching the application, I hide the 12 sets of controllers in a Pelican case, about 25% of the headsets will lose passthrough at some point over the next 2-3 hours.  Some times it's after 10 minutes, sometimes it's after an hour and half.  Sometimes it's headset #1, sometimes it's headset #6, sometimes it's headsets #12.  Which headset and when seems completely random, but it's usually about 3-5 headsets (out of 12) that lose passthrough at some point.

I have tried and failed to get an ADB logcat file but because it's so random. 

zhengyang
New Participant
March 23, 2026

Very few people replied to the post here. My situation is similar. When the black screen appears, the direction of the running project will change.

pon7
pon7Author
Inspiring
March 24, 2026

From what I've read online, it was suggested that, when the bluetooth connection to the controller is lost, the Quest headset "loses focus" of the application as it tries to find the controller.  Eventually, the headset will "regain focus" as it turns its attention back to the application.  It is at this point (when the "focus" is regained) that the headset will sometimes not reinitialize passthrough.

 

I honestly have not idea what that means.  I've tried a few blueprint nodes re: focus and that didn't do anything.  I've set a recurring Event to re-initialize passthrough and that didn't fix it.  Is this what you are talking about?

 

In my application, the main level doesn't use controllers.  It is a passive experience.  I only use them at the beginning to join the server, and then I put them away.  In the end, I've concluded that the easiest solution is to do away with controllers all together: I'm going to use hand tracking in the Entry Level to join the server, thereby eliminating the need for controllers all together.

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