Oculus Quest 2 update brings Messenger encryption and new security features

Oculus Quest 2 controllers lying on their side
(Image credit: Shutterstock / Peter Kotoff)

Your Meta Quest 2 VR headset should soon reach a new milestone, as update v40 is steadily rolling out right now.

Once your device has received the upgrade you can expect several new security and accessibility options to become available. This includes selective app restrictions that will help you keep some users from accessing content you don’t want them to.

A user setting a password for a game on their Quest 2

(Image credit: Meta)

When v31 of the Quest 2 software was released, Meta gave users the ability to lock their headsets behind a pattern password that they had to draw out. This feature’s now getting a tune-up in this latest update; rather than just locking the whole headset, you can now selectively lock individual apps and games.

As noted in the Meta Quest blog, this will let other headset users only play content that you deem age-appropriate without having to completely lock them out of the headset. Even with this feature on, you may still want to keep an eye on what your kid is playing in VR, and one of the best ways to do that is to cast your Quest 2 to your TV to see what they see in the headset.

Security and accessibility 

Speaking of security, v40 will mean making secure 3DS authorized payments is a bit easier. Before the update hit, you had to use the Oculus mobile app to authorize these kinds of payments from credit cards. Now that authorization will be handled inside the Quest 2 headset.

Note this will only automatically apply to Quest Store purchases, as in-game purchases will require developers to opt in and allow the native authorization.

Continuing on a similar trend, there’s new end-to-end encryption coming to Messenger as part of v40, although this is just for one-on-one chats and is still in the testing phase.  Specifically, Meta says it’s “testing optional end-to-end encryption for Messenger’s one-on-one messages and calls in VR”, so no group chat support yet. 

An encrypted Messenger chat on the Quest 2

(Image credit: Meta)

It’s not clear from the blog who will be included in this test, nor how you opt-in – and our Quest 2 headset has yet to be updated. For now, it looks like you’ll need to wait for encryption to properly come to the Quest 2’s Messenger, though with this update, we might not be waiting much longer.

Then for accessibility, there’s new audio support that will let you toggle between the headset’s default spatial audio and a new mono audio mode. Once switched on, mono audio will make the headset’s speakers (or connected headphones) play the same sound from both sides.

This will dampen the game’s immersive feel, but will hopefully make it easier for those who are hard of hearing to engage with the VR content. In addition, new audio channel settings will let you manually adjust the balance between your right and left side.

More keyboards enter the metaverse

Lastly, there’s the addition of new VR-compatible keyboards being added to the Quest 2’s supported devices. 

A user setting their audio preferences on the Quest 2

(Image credit: Meta)

If you want to go all-in on the metaverse and work inside one, you’re going to want to snag yourself either the Logitech’s K830 keyboard or Apple Magic Keyboard. Not only do these keyboards pair with the Quest 2 but a virtual representation of them appear exactly where the keyboard is in real life, allowing you to use them while immersed in VR.

Two new keyboards are being added to the mix now too, the Logitech K375s and Logitech MX Keys.

With Meta continuing to highlight the work-related uses of its metaverse tech, including recent statements from CEO Mark Zuckerberg about its upcoming Project Cambria headset, expect to see more keyboards and other devices get VR support via updates like this in the future.

Hamish Hector
Senior Staff Writer, News

Hamish is a Senior Staff Writer for TechRadar and you’ll see his name appearing on articles across nearly every topic on the site from smart home deals to speaker reviews to graphics card news and everything in between. He uses his broad range of knowledge to help explain the latest gadgets and if they’re a must-buy or a fad fueled by hype. Though his specialty is writing about everything going on in the world of virtual reality and augmented reality.

Read more
The Meta Quest 3 and its controllers in a charging station on a wooden top next to candles, a vase and a lamp
Final Meta Quest 3 update of 2024 brings big hand-tracking upgrade – and it might convince me to give working in VR another chance
The Meta Quest 3 and its controllers on a table next to a plant pot with a green fern in and a gold lamp
Some Meta Quest headsets are being bricked by a software update – but a fix is rolling out
The Meta Quest 3 and controllers on their charging station which is itself on a wooden desk next to a lamp
Meta announces major Quest 3 home theater update – but I want to know when it'll make it easier to watch 3D films in VR
Hamish hector drawing a bow in VR while wearing the Meta Quest 3S.
Meta's Horizon app was the no. 1 iPhone app on Christmas Day – and I'm not surprised. Here's why
Girl wearing Meta Quest 3 headset interacting with a jungle playset
Start your Meta Quest 3 journey off right with my favorite VR games and apps of 2024
Oculus Quest headset and Oculus Touch controllers
Meta sets Oculus Quest headset shelf-life at six years, but there's still hope that the Meta Quest 2 will survive past 2026
Latest in Virtual Reality Gaming
A Dragonborn warrior, Tiefling rogue and Halfling mage preparing for battle next to a sign saying "Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked"
First Dungeons & Dragons VR trailer teases a beginner-friendly tabletop game – but I’m just begging for a custom game mode
Meta Quest 3S with Batman: Arkham Shadow banner behind it and red background with black TechRadar lowest price sign
Save $50 on the Meta Quest 3S with a free copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow
Aliens crawl out of the dark to attack Zula
Alien: Rogue Incursion review: superb survival horror with monsters I wish were more terrifying
Hamish Hector next to Ryan Rayton and a shadowy Batman
Exclusive: the head of Batman: Arkham Shadow answers our 5 biggest questions about a sequel, DLC, and that twist ending
Metro Awakening screenshot
Metro Awakening review: a survival horror adventure that'll land with the right audience, but that's not me
Batman using his grapnel gun
Batman: Arkham Shadow review: an almost flawless VR experience
Latest in News
MacBook Air mute key
The new M4 MacBook Air finally fixes an Apple keyboard annoyance that's been around for decades
A collage of Ellie and Joel in The Last of Us season 2
The Last of Us season 2's new trailer teases a huge showdown between Bella Ramsey's Ellie and Pedro Pascal's Joel, but the big moment I'm waiting for is still being held back
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max REVIEW
New iPhone 17 Air leak may have revealed some key specs – and how it compares to the iPhone 17 Pro Max
Gaming with AI
I asked Gemini to play a text-based adventure game with me and the AI whisked me away to a word-based fantasy
Apple iPhone 16 Review
Three iPhone 17 model dummy units appear in a hands-on video leak
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge on display the January 22, 2025 Galaxy Unpacked event.
New Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge may have revealed some key details – including its price