Meta Quest VR headsets will no longer require a Facebook account starting in August

Users of Meta’s Quest VR headsets will no longer be required to have a Facebook account to log in starting in August. In August, the company will introduce Meta Accounts, which Quest users can now use to log in.

Meta emphasized that a Meta Account is not a social media profile, but an account that allows users to log into VR devices, view and manage their purchased apps. In the future, users with a Meta account should also be able to log in to other Meta devices.

Users can link such a Meta account to a Facebook or Instagram account, but this is not mandatory. When creating a Meta account must users indicate their name, email address, telephone number, payment details and date of birth. This data will not be made public, the company writes.

After creating a Meta Account, users must create a Meta Horizon profile. This is a social media profile, but for the metaverse. This profile also replaces the Oculus profile. Here, users can specify how they should appear to other users: “as a 9-to-5 character or as a gamer.” A Meta Horizon profile also allows users to choose a profile name and profile picture. Users can make their Meta Horizon profile private if they wish.

The Meta accounts remove the obligation to log in to the Quest headsets with a Facebook account. That obligation was introduced for new users almost two years ago. Logging in with existing Oculus accounts is also possible and will remain possible until January 2023. However, creating such an Oculus account is no longer possible since October 2020. With the Meta Quest 2 it is not possible to log in with an Oculus account and a Facebook account is therefore mandatory.