Meta will pull the plug on Quest 1 security patches next month

Meta announced that security patches for the Quest 1 are officially ending next month, marking the final exit of the five-year-old headset.

Meta sent an email to Quest 1 owners on Friday saying that the 2019-era Quest will no longer receive security updates or bug fixes starting August 31, 2024.

While users will still be able to download and play supported apps, the company notes that “if any security vulnerabilities are discovered in the future, private data stored directly on or accessible from the device will be at risk of compromise.”

The first indication that Quest 1 was headed for the chopping block came in early 2023 when Meta announced that first-party social apps The parties AND Home Meta Horizon will no longer support Quest 1.

Then, in March 2024, the company announced that it was removing the ability for developers to target Quest 1 for new apps, essentially banning any new games or experiences.

It’s unclear if Quest 2 will meet a similar fate so soon. While Meta hasn’t released official sales figures, the company’s 2020-generation standalone headset is widely considered the best-selling VR headset to date. To boot, it still holds the top spot as the most popular VR headset on Steam, with 38.10% of users surveyed using the Quest 2 to play SteamVR games.

Meanwhile, Meta looks set to make room for a new headset to replace the Quest 2 in its lineup, as the Quest is now unavailable in nearly all regions when purchased directly from Meta.

You can see the full email from Meta to Quest 1 owners below:

Greetings [User],

We would like to let you know that starting August 31, 2024, we will no longer provide code bug fixes or security updates for the Meta Quest 1 headset. You will still be able to download new apps and continue to use your existing apps as long as they are supported by the developer. However, if any security vulnerabilities are discovered in the future, private data stored directly on or accessible from the device will be at risk of compromise.

This update follows our announcement in January 2023, when we stopped releasing new features and new Meta Quest apps for Quest 1 in the Quest Store.

We are excited about the future of Meta Quest and look forward to bringing you more innovative MR experiences.

In the meantime, Meta Store support is available to help you with general questions.

Thank you,

Meta Store Support Team