Waking up on Christmas morning to download updates and charge devices isn’t anyone’s idea of holiday cheer. But an even bigger holiday hassle occurred recently for some Meta Quest users. After downloading an update, some brand-new devices became unusable, leaving their owners frustrated. In response, Meta is offering replacement units and Horizon Store credit for the inconvenience.
Numerous users took to Reddit on December 25th to voice their frustration over their newly acquired Quest headsets becoming essentially bricks. This unfortunate event followed the mandatory installation of a new update, only for an error to pop up declaring, “Your device is corrupt. It can’t be trusted.” Once that error appeared, there was no way to reset the headset, rendering it completely useless.
The trouble seems linked to the Quest’s recent v72 update, released earlier this month. This isn’t only troubling new Quest headsets; older devices that hadn’t been updated recently are also facing the issue.
In a user support thread, Meta addressed the situation: “We’ve discovered a software update issue that rendered some Quest 2/3/3S headsets unresponsive, preventing them from starting up correctly. We’re working hard to resolve this for all users, but most can now use their devices as normal.”
Feedback indicated that only a small portion of new headsets were affected. Meta halted the distribution of the latest firmware update, which should prevent further issues for new owners who haven’t yet set up their Quests. For those who ended up with bricked devices, Meta is replacing affected units and offering Horizon Store credit as a gesture of goodwill.
In a ‘Next Steps’ thread targeting Quest 3S users, Meta confirmed: “We’re aware that a limited number of Quest 3S devices aren’t starting up because of a software update issue. If your headset is affected, we’ll provide you with a replacement at no extra cost and offer you Horizon Store credit.”
Though Meta’s response was swift, the initial damage led some owners to return their faulty devices to stores, hoping that replacements wouldn’t suffer the same fate. One Reddit user, ‘Physical-Slip5049,’ shared a particularly heart-wrenching story: “I bought a never-used, second-hand Quest 2 on eBay as a Christmas gift for my 9-year-old son. On Christmas morning, he started it and had to update it. Following Meta’s instructions to reset it didn’t help—now it’s hard-bricked. It’s only been on for 5 minutes in its 2-year life. My son waited 3 months to play, but he couldn’t on the big day. He spent half of Christmas Day crying.”
Furthermore, it appears Meta is offering refurbished units along with store credit to owners of out-of-warranty headsets like the Quest 2.
We’re keeping a close eye on how this situation develops. If you’ve experienced similar problems, share your story in the comments and let us know how Meta is addressing your issue.
