Population: One developers roll out the fix to the communications issue

Population One Winter Event Rewards
Population One Winter Event Rewards (Image credit: BigBox VR)

What you need to know

  • Population: One players have been having trouble communicating with each other since the January 6 update.
  • Developer BigBox VR released a patch on January 10 that should fix the problems.
  • Players who are having trouble updating should uninstall the game and reinstall it from the store.

Update January 10, 2022 4:00PM ET: BigBox VR has updated the game with a patch that should fix the communication issues.

While many players have been enjoying the latest Population: One season content, popping New Years balloons, and scoring big points, a big problem cropped up last week that's been preventing squads from being able to hear each other. If you've been playing and suddenly can't hear or speak with your squad, don't worry, you're not alone. Thankfully, a fix is here.

The problems seem to have started around the New Years content update, which went live on January 6. This issue also appeared in a previous update sometime in 2021 but was eventually fixed.

Developer BigBox VR posted an acknowledgment of the issues over the weekend, saying that players should expect a fix to come in the near future. That update went live on January 10 around noon PST.

BigBox VR notes that some players were also having issues properly muting players using the mute icon in the game. Additionally, some players were experiencing black screens when an update was required. Both issues have now been fixed, as well.

Population One Winter Event Ornament Building

Source: BigBox VR (Image credit: Source: BigBox VR)

In the future, if you ever run into communications issues like this with Population: One or any other game, you can always create an Oculus party, instead.

Oculus parties are a great way to get together with friends and join in on the same games with little to no hassle. You can voice chat with your party at any time, so communication isn't relegated to the game that's being played.

Population: One is one of the best Quest 2 games, pitting players against each other in several different modes, from team deathmatch to battle royale. Players can climb literally anything and glide anywhere they want on that massive map, making this one of the most unique VR shooters available.

Nicholas Sutrich
Senior Content Producer — Smartphones & VR
Nick started with DOS and NES and uses those fond memories of floppy disks and cartridges to fuel his opinions on modern tech. Whether it's VR, smart home gadgets, or something else that beeps and boops, he's been writing about it since 2011. Reach him on Twitter or Instagram @Gwanatu