The Oculus Quest 2, like most standalone VR headsets, are very social in design – and we’re not just talking about multiplayer games. The wire-free nature of the headset allows you to bring it to gatherings and introduce friends and family to the wonders of virtual reality. The only real downside is that up until now, the Quest range only supports a single login, meaning anyone that uses your headset can download new apps, access your Facebook messages and totally destroy your Beat Saber high scores.
However, that’s all about to change. Oculus has rolled out support for multiple accounts and library sharing as an experimental feature in its latest software update available for Oculus Quest 2 users, allowing up to four accounts on a single headset, each with its own apps, high-scores and social accounts. It’s a game-changer for social VR, and we’ve got the low-down on how to set it up right here.
How to set up multi-user support on Oculus Quest 2
- On your headset, head to the Settings menu (click the cog on the toolbar).
- Go to About and click Update Software if an update is available.
- Once your headset is up to date, return to the Settings menu and select Experimental Features. Scroll down, and toggle on ‘Multiple Accounts and Library Sharing’.
- Confirm your choice and enable library sharing.
- Select Account and select Add New Account.
- If you don’t have a lock pattern set up for your Quest, you’ll be prompted to set one – this is required for multi-user support.
- Click Add New Account and follow the first-time setup instructions to link the user’s account to their Facebook account.
- Repeat the process for another two accounts if required, bringing the max number of user accounts to 4 – including your own.
Once you’ve set up the other accounts, you’ll be able to switch simply by selecting your profile photo in the toolbar and selecting the new user.
All sub-users will have access to the admin user’s library of apps too, so no need to re-buy your favourite titles – for the most part, anyway. Oculus has said that any new app released from 19 February 2021 will feature app sharing support by default, but it may take a while for older apps to add support for the functionality, so make sure your apps are up to date!
Can I set up multi-user support on the original Oculus Quest?
As mentioned earlier, the current experimental beta is limited to the more powerful Oculus Quest 2, but Oculus has explicitly said that it will make it to the original Quest at some point. It’s hopeful that by the time Oculus comes to push the fully baked feature out, it’ll also play nicely with the first-generation Quest.
Can I share apps between headsets?
Let’s say you’ve got a large library of apps and you’ve added a flatmate as a user – could your flatmate then access your library of apps on their own headset, just like they can when using yours? Unfortunately not – Oculus explicitly states that sub-accounts “won’t be able to access the admin account’s shared apps on their own headset”.
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Author: Lewis Painter, Senior Staff Writer
Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You'll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.