RIP Facebook accounts: Quest 2 Meta accounts begin rolling out globally

What you need to know

• Meta has begun to transition the Quest 2 to use "Meta accounts" instead of Facebook accounts.
• New Quest 2 owners will directly create a Meta account in-headset, while older users must transition their FB account on mobile or browser.
• You can unlink Facebook while retaining your old purchases on the new Meta account, though you'll lose access to tools like Messenger.
• The new Meta account requires an email, real name, and age. 
• This feature will "roll out globally on a gradual basis."

Almost a year since Facebook became Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised you could soon "log into Quest with an account other than your personal Facebook account," that promise is finally coming to fruition. 

On August 23, Meta announced that an update supporting Meta accounts on the Quest 2 had begun to roll out globally. You'll no longer need a Facebook account, which means you won't lose access to your games library if you (or Meta) deletes your Facebook account. 

If you buy a new Quest 2, the headset should prompt you to create a Meta account directly, with linking Facebook or Instagram as an optional decision. But for current Quest 2 owners, you can finally unlink Facebook once and for all — though you'll lose access to Facebook apps like Messenger on the Quest 2.

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Your new Meta Horizon profile will have a username, public display name, and profile picture (or avatar), as well as followers (formerly Oculus Friends). While you can set your profile to private and remove Facebook so your account is no longer easily findable, non-followers can still "view your profile picture, avatar, username, display name, follower count, and the number of people you follow...search for your name or username [or] send you follow requests."

In other words, Meta will have much the same information about you that it did before, and people will still hypothetically be able to find you on the headset with your username. But as anyone who has had their Facebook accounts banned and lost access to all their favorite Quest games will tell you, this is definitely a positive step for VR gamers. 

The Quest 2 recently had a $100 price hike, and some have speculated that the Quest 2 Facebook account removal may have contributed to Meta raising the price, since it could lead to a mass exodus of Facebook users no longer tethered to the platform.

How to remove Facebook and create a new Meta Quest 2 account

To create your new Meta account, go to meta.com/setup and log into Facebook one last time to start the necessary unlinking process. You'll hit a "Software update required" roadblock if your Quest 2 isn't updated to support the new account, so you should first turn on your headset and see if you're prompted to download an update. 

You can also check for the update by going to Quick Settings > Settings > System and selecting Software Update from the left menu. If it isn't there yet, you'll have to wait until the update arrives in your region.

Once your Quest 2 is updated, return to the above link, where you'll need to provide a new valid email, along with your name and age — though Meta will already have this info from your Facebook account. Most of your other data will transfer over, such as followers, but you'll have a chance to change your avatar and display name if you want a fresh start.

Once you've finished creating your account, you'll need to put on your headset, find the code shown on the device, and enter that code at meta.com/device to finalize the process.