Meta is 'making good progress' on removing the Quest 2's mandatory Facebook login

Meta Quest 2 headset lenses up-close
(Image credit: Future)

Update: This story has been updated to reflect that the Quest 2 has always required a Facebook login.

Original story: Last October, Meta promised to allow users of the Quest 2 VR headset to login to the device using an account that's not their personal Facebook account. We're still awaiting this change today, and a Facebook account is still required on the VR headset's first boot, but a Meta spokesperson tells me this long-awaited change in policy should be coming "soon."

"We shared at Connect that we’re working on making it so you can log into Quest with an account other than your personal Facebook account. We are making good progress on that work and we’ll have something to share soon," Meta says.

This will be a welcome change from the current login requirement of a personal Facebook account; not only does this lock out users that don't use Facebook, but it also raised privacy concerns regarding how data was used from the headset in conjunction with a connected Facebook account.

I know a few people that decided against purchasing a Quest 2 due to the mandatory Facebook login, and clearly many others were against the login requirement when it first rolled out to multiple Oculus headsets back in 2020. Some later bypassed it altogether. This controversial decision hasn't stopped the headset from rising to become the most popular VR device of all time on Steam, however.

Oculus headset users were informed they had until 2023 to link their device with their personal Facebook account or lose "full functionality" of some headsets, though they would still work. That didn't go down too well for a heap of reasons, and understandably so.

Immersive options

Valve Index panel

(Image credit: Valve)

Best VR headsets: transport yourself to another world

Now it seems we may have an alternative before that crucial date passes.

But what form Meta's alternative login will take is not yet clear. Meta has carefully worded its promise to mention "an account other than your personal Facebook account", and doesn't state it will do away with logins altogether. Here's hoping it's at least possible to use a Quest 2 without a Facebook account, or a login for one of its sister services under the Meta umbrella, as that was what caused headaches for social media shunners and business users alike.

Meta used to sell a Quest 2 for businesses that didn't require a personal account to login, at a premium, but that has since been discontinued in favour of a unified Quest 2 device for all use cases. So what's the hold up, Meta?

Jacob Ridley
Managing Editor, Hardware

Jacob earned his first byline writing for his own tech blog. From there, he graduated to professionally breaking things as hardware writer at PCGamesN, and would go on to run the team as hardware editor. He joined PC Gamer's top staff as senior hardware editor before becoming managing editor of the hardware team, and you'll now find him reporting on the latest developments in the technology and gaming industries and testing the newest PC components.

Read more
Meta Horizon OS on a box.
The upcoming Asus VR project is rumoured to have eye and face tracking, yet the thing I'm most excited about is its OS
Mark Zuckerberg pretends the metaverse is cool
The metaverse could be a 'legendary misadventure,' Meta executive says, if Reality Labs doesn't turn things around in 2025
A Meta Quest 3S, alongside a Quest 3 and Quest 2, on a stack of PC Gamer magazine.
I'm still waiting for a high-end VR headset good enough to make me ditch my Quest 3
The best VR headsets from Meta on a grey background with the PC Gamer Recommends badge in the upper right corner.
Best VR headset in 2025: my top picks for stunning virtual reality experiences
The HTC Vive XR Elite front three quarter angle
Google is bulk buying HTC Vive engineers to help Android XR become a platform that can rival Meta's VR/AR dominance
An image of a Meta Quest 3S VR headset and two hand controllers against a teal background and a white border
Be the Batman in your bedroom with this Meta Quest 3S deal, saving $50 on the 256 GB model
Latest in VR Hardware
A still from a YouTube video showing The Swedish Maker cutting a piece of wood with power tools while wearing a Meta Quest 3 VR headset.
YouTuber The Swedish Maker wears a Meta Quest 3 VR headset for his entire woodworking project and miraculously emerges with all fingers intact
The HTC Vive XR Elite front three quarter angle
Google is bulk buying HTC Vive engineers to help Android XR become a platform that can rival Meta's VR/AR dominance
Meta Horizon OS on a box.
The upcoming Asus VR project is rumoured to have eye and face tracking, yet the thing I'm most excited about is its OS
An image of a Meta Quest 3S VR headset and two hand controllers against a teal background and a white border
Be the Batman in your bedroom with this Meta Quest 3S deal, saving $50 on the 256 GB model
Pimax Dream Air VR headset on a grey background
This upcoming Micro-OLED VR headset has absolutely everything and weighs less than 200 grams but of course it costs nearly 4x the Quest 3
A Meta Quest 3S, alongside a Quest 3 and Quest 2, on a stack of PC Gamer magazine.
Meta could take a step back from designing VR headsets and lend other companies access to its Horizon OS instead
Latest in News
Naoe looking at the wrist blade in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Ubisoft backflips, says Assassin's Creed Shadows will support Steam Deck at launch, but I doubt I'll actually want to play it there
Henry from KCD2 wearing nice outfits
'Diversify your fashion endgame' with this Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 mod that gives Henry fly new gambesons, pourpoints, and caftans
Masked Counter-Terrorist in helmet in forefront with sunglasses and beret-wearing CT in background touching headset
There's hope yet for Classic Offensive after its Steam rejection: The team behind the Counter-Strike 1.6 revival mod is in touch with Valve about its 'concerns'
Recently appointed Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan.
Here comes Intel's new CEO: a semiconductor veteran that won the same prestigious award as Jensen Huang and Lisa Su
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 15: Protestors attend the SAG-AFTRA Video Game Strike Picket on August 15, 2024 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Lila Seeley/Getty Images)
8 months into their strike, videogame voice actors say the industry's latest proposal is 'filled with alarming loopholes that will leave our members vulnerable to AI abuse'
Orithopter shooting down another in Dune
Dune: Awakening confirms air-to-air combat in ornithopters