What you need to know
- Users will no longer be required to link their Facebook accounts to the Oculus Quest or Oculus Quest 2.
- A new Meta account and accompanying Meta Horizon profile will need to be made and can optionally be linked with Facebook or Instagram accounts.
- All existing purchases and experiences will be automatically migrated to new Meta accounts starting in August 2022.
It's been nearly 9 months since Meta originally announced it would be getting rid of the Facebook account requirement for the company's Quest 2 headset, and it looks like the wait is just about over.
In a press release, Meta announced that Oculus Quest 2 users will no longer be required to have a Facebook account to use their Quest 2 (or original Oculus Quest) headsets. Instead, a new Meta account will need to be made in order to continue playing on a Meta Quest 2, and all your favorite Quest 2 games will automatically be transferred over.
This new account will not require that any other social media accounts be linked to it, however, users can opt to continue to link their Facebook or Instagram accounts to their new Meta account for ease of communication.
Meta specifically points out that Meta accounts are not social profiles. Rather, they are simply a way to manage your library and purchases without tying them to your social media profile. That's important given that, up until now, a banned Facebook account meant that you wouldn't be able to play on your Quest 2 or access any of the library of games you purchased.
New and existing users can choose to set up a Meta account from scratch or use their existing Facebook accounts to quickly fill out the required information fields. Even if you use your Facebook account to fill in your information, you don't have to link your Facebook account to your Meta account.
A Meta account includes your name, email address, phone number, payment information, and date of birth for age verification. As has always been the case with previous accounts, you're required to be 13 or older to create a Meta account.
Since Meta accounts will not be used for social purposes at all, Meta is rebranding the existing Oculus profiles to Meta Horizon profiles. Meta Horizon profiles are designed to help you create a cohesive visual look across supported games and apps by choosing a username, avatar, and other important social information you want to share. You'll even be able to customize what name is shown publicly, whether it's your real name, username, or something else entirely.
Meta Horizon profiles will not just be for VR though, as they appear to be the beginning of Meta's push to get more devices into the metaverse, including devices that can use web browsers to access Horizon Worlds, which was announced back in April.
Quest users can sign up for a new Meta account and Meta Horizon profile starting in August 2022. While it likely coincides with the monthly system update, Meta hasn't provided an exact date of availability at this time.
Oculus accounts are still being sunset on January 1, 2023, which was previously announced when the Quest 2 debuted in 2020. Oculus account holders will need to create a Meta account and accompanying Meta Horizon profile to continue using any Quest or Rift device after that date.
The name Meta Horizon Profile isn't an accident, as it further entrenches Meta's Horizon metaverse into the Quest ecosystem. Meta recently launched Horizon Worlds in the UK, which included a number of new privacy features and, before that, replaced the Oculus Home screen with the more social Horizon Home.
Meta is also rebranding the friends experience, changing the word "friends" to "followers" to better align with the social nature of Meta Horizon profiles. Existing friends will be migrated over to the new system and you can unfollow or remove followers at any time. Meta says you'll be able to use this new system to automatically share activity with followers if you'd like.
Lastly, Meta is revamping social privacy by adding three new privacy options when you create your Meta Horizon profile. These three new settings include Open to Everyone, Friends and Family, and Solo, but users can more granularly choose options in the privacy menu later.
Separately, you can set your profile to private, which means you'll need to approve any follower requests that come in, but that doesn't stop people from being able to search for your profile. People between the ages of 13 and 17 will automatically have their profiles set to private.
The Meta Quest 2 makes it easy to jump into VR any time (or anywhere) you want! Ditch that PC or console and join the future.
