Some Meta Quest headsets are being bricked by a software update – but a fix is rolling out

The Meta Quest 3 and its controllers on a table next to a plant pot with a green fern in and a gold lamp

The Meta Quest 3 and controllers (Image credit: Future)

Meta Quest 2, 3, and 3S headsets having issues
Applying updates means the headsets don't start
Meta acknowledges the issue, sends out a fix

If you've decided to fire up your Meta Quest 3 for some holiday gaming, you don't want to then find it broken by a software update – but that's exactly what's happening to the Quest 3, as well as the older Meta Quest 2 and the newer Meta Quest 3S.

As reported by UploadVR, users have been hitting the web to complain after a new software patch left their headsets unusable. You can read some of the stories of Meta Quest woe on the Meta community forums and on Reddit.

There seems to be a running theme in that a lot of the complaints are coming from people who haven't used their headset in a while, and it's possible that an out-of-date firmware version at the lowest level is causing the software update on top to fail.

Some users say applying the v71 and v72 updates put their Meta Quest headsets into a startup loop, and that factory resetting the devices then means they don't power on at all – so we're talking about a serious issue for VR gamers.

Fixing the problem

meta quest 3s — The Meta Quest 3S (Image credit: Meta)

As per the UploadVR article, Meta's initial advice to those affected was to try booting up their headset while holding down the power button for 45 seconds, then releasing it – which is something to try if you've been affected.

The Meta support site has since been updated to say "in most cases, you are now able to use your device normally". That suggests software updates are now working again, which is backed up by a new note posted to Reddit.

If you are still experiencing problems, Meta says you should get in touch with the support team through the official channels, which you can do here. As yet it's not immediately clear how to restore a bricked device, beyond the power up method mentioned above.

Hopefully everything is now back to normal, but it's been a frustrating few days for those who've had this problem. What makes it even more frustrating is that v72 has some genuinely useful new features in it as well.

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.