Facebook’s whole premise is about connecting people yet this ability in virtual reality (VR) has been patchy over the years. Facebook Spaces was its first proper attempt with built-in Messenger functionality but that app closed in 2019 to make way for Horizon. With the roll-out of Oculus Quest’s next software update this week, Messenger is set to return.
Bundled in the v25 update alongside App Lab, Messenger will be made available to those who have logged into Oculus Quest/Quest 2 using their Facebook account. Entirely in VR so there’s no need to remove your headset, you can chat to friends as you normally would, no matter the device they happen to be using.
You’ll have the option to type messages out in VR, use a pre-written conversation starter or utilise Oculus’ voice-to-text feature. If everyone happens to be in VR whilst chatting away in Messenger then you’ll be able to create an Oculus Party to all jump into a videogame together.
When it comes to privacy Oculus notes: “Choosing to communicate with your Facebook friends with Messenger on Oculus doesn’t change your existing Oculus privacy settings. You can still message your Oculus friends using Oculus Chats with your existing Oculus username.”
While there’s been no mention of the Multi-User Accounts feature discussed in January, Messenger will be geared up ready for when that happens. “If your friends and family want to borrow your headset, you can sign out of Messenger at any time in your Messenger settings before sharing the headset with them. To sign back in, select your Messenger profile and re-enter your password.”
If you’ve not been able to update your Oculus Quest yet it’s because v25 is being gradually rolled out, so your device may receive it in a week or so.
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