Updated at 1:00 pm on January 1, 2025: Meta has set up a page to help those affected. If your headphones are bricked, please visit https://www.meta.com/en-gb/help/product-claim/product_selection/ Request a replacement headset.
Updated December 30, 2024 at 11:30 am: Meta has begun offering replacements and store credits for bricked headsets to affected customers, including providing refurbished units for headsets that are out of warranty.
Updated at 2 pm on December 28, 2024: Meta released an official statement saying that the problematic update has been fixed and that most players should be able to resume using the headset. Customers whose headsets are still unresponsive are told to contact customer support via: MetaTask Help Center.
what you need to know
- The Meta Quest V72 update fails to install on some headsets, rendering them unusable.
- This buggy update affects some Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, and Meta Quest 3S users.
- Meta says it has fixed the problematic update and players still experiencing issues need to contact customer service.
- Meta is offering replacement headsets through a dedicated support page for users whose headsets are still bricked.
Bad software updates are never anyone’s fun, as several Meta Quest owners discovered when they turned on their headsets after Christmas this year.
The Meta Quest v72 update appears to feature some Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3 and Meta Task 3S The headset cannot be used after the installation fails. Owners who received the erroneous update should go to meta forum (via Upload VR) and Reddit Report that their headset won’t turn on. Affected users’ headsets display a black screen with the error “Your device is damaged. It cannot be trusted.”
Meta recommends affected users hold down the power button for 45 seconds before starting up, which should reset the headset and potentially eliminate any issues. Users can also try Manually refresh V71 update Use Meta’s official manual update tool and your smartphone.
Some users reported that these steps did not resolve the issue. Meta indicates problematic updates Has been officially fixed Users who are still experiencing issues should use New dedicated replacement page Request a replacement headset. Meta says even people whose warranties have expired should use the site.
Meta canceled the problematic update and offered affected customers free replacement headsets via a dedicated support page.
Before Meta built this page, customer service was spotty at best. according to Several Meta Quest forum posts In late December, customers whose out-of-warranty Meta Quest 2 headsets were bricked by a software update were asked to pay $150 to get refurbished headsets. Meta seems to have resolved the issue for most people, although some customers are still reporting problems with replacements.
Based on public data via AmazonMeta’s Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S headsets have sold three times more than the combined sales of Nintendo Switch, Sony PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S. We don’t yet know how widespread the update issue is, but we do know Meta always Slowly rolling out updates and features to its headphones to prevent widespread issues like this.
Considering how well Meta’s Quest headsets performed this holiday season, a large number of customers could be affected. If you have been affected, Meta encourages users to go to This Meta Quest announcement pageclick the Options button in the upper right corner and click Subscribe. You’ll need a Meta Quest forum account to do this, but creating an account is free and as easy as logging in with an existing Meta account.