It can be so disappointing when you try to use your Quest 1 or 2 and it keeps turning off on its own. The thing is, there are many features on Oculus that affect its power on and off states; from sensors and batteries to auto settings and power buttons. And glitches or damage on any of these can cause your Oculus to keep turning off every time you turn it on.
When you notice this problem on your Quest or Quest 2, the most important thing to keep in mind is that you should not tap or shake your headset vigorously. Many gamers have done this and ended up making the issue worse.
In this article, we are going to present all the known causes of your Oculus Quest 1 or 2 turning off on its own, and the ways you can resolve the problem.
Why Does My Oculus Keep Turning Off
The reasons and solutions for Oculus turning off are pretty much the same, whether you own a Quest or Quest 2. Here are the common reasons we have found for both versions of Oculus.
1. Oculus Auto Wake Feature Is Enabled
Auto wake is a feature on Oculus which enables it to automatically power on (wake up) your headset from sleep when you place it on your head. It uses a device called a proximity sensor to detect that you have placed the headset on your head, and then wake the headset up from sleep.
Now, if the proximity sensor is faulty or has the silicon cover over it, it is unable to detect that you have worn your headset. So when auto wake is enabled in such a scenario, it turns your headset off after a while because it is unable to detect that you are wearing your headset.
Disabling the Auto Wake feature takes the power on and off control away from the proximity sensor, with that control now resting solely on the power button controls.
2. Oculus Guardian Setting
Oculus Guardian is the safety feature for your protection in your physical space. When you get immersed in your virtual experience or game, you are likely move around your physical space so much so that you may bump into objects and structures.
The guardian feature allows you to create boundaries on your headset to limit your physical movement in your room. These boundaries then appear when you move too close to the edge of your playing area, according to your settings.
Occasionally, your Oculus may suffer a glitch that causes it to power of your headset when you get close to the edge of your set playing area instead of bringing up the boundary lines. It is yet unclear why this happens but it is a common cause for your Quest 1 or 2 turning off on its own
3. Tracking Is On
The guardian boundary setting we just discussed uses the Tracking feature to track your physical movement in your playing area and then alert you when you have strayed too close based on the guardian boundary setting.
In other words, Tracking is the technology that makes the guardian boundary and its settings to work.
Normally, this is a good thing and should be left on. If it is turned off, the headset will not be able to track your movement and alert you to your playing area boundary when you stray close. This can result in injury to you or damage to things around you.
Unfortunately, just as with the guardian boundary setting, a glitch in the tracking technology could also cause your Oculus to power off every time you power it on. Some of the issues we have found with Tracking are:
- New Software Update
- Out-of-date software
- Reflective items in the playing area
- Dark playing area
- Too-bright or overpowering playing area
All of these can cause a glitch in Tracking, which in turns causes your Oculus to keep turning off.
4. Bug
A bug is a problem with the software or hardware of a system. Bugs usually develop from the impact of an external factor, rather than from within the system.
For example, your Oculus may develop bugs from a hardware failure, poor handling, a software update, an installed game, a wrong setting you have made, using incompatible devices and peripherals with your Oculus, damaged sensors, and so on.
It is often hard to tell the source of a bug unless there is an error message. In the case of Oculus constantly turning off when you power it on, the best course of action is to use a step-by-step elimination method until the cause of the bug is found and fixed.
5. Dead Battery
Sometimes, when your Oculus keeps turning off, it is because of a dead battery. Even though it may start the booting process when you power the headset on, there may not be enough charge in the battery to complete the process, hence its turning off.
There are 2 cases of a dead battery on your Oculus, and we will explore how each can cause the problem with your headset
1. Out of Charge – The following will cause your battery to be out of charge:
2. Rundown from use: The problem may simply be that your battery is too low from prolonged use. Oculus batteries last an average of 2 hours with normal use.
You may finish using your headset and not realise that the battery was already low. When next you try to power it on, it may be unable to complete booting and so turn off.
3. Left on Sleep: Also, you may have left your Oculus on sleep mode for a long time. This drains the battery, howbeit at a much slower rate than when in active use.
The truth is that the Oculus battery is discharging even when it has been completely powered off…only that it does this at a much slower rate than when on sleep.
4. Can’t Charge Properly: If your battery cannot charge properly, it will not have enough charge to keep your Oculus powered, hence the constant turning off.
The main causes of Oculus not being able to charge properly are using a damaged cable, fault in the wall outlet, using too-high or too-low voltage.
So, if there is not enough charge on the battery, the cells will not be able to power your device long enough to complete the booting process; or it may complete it but not stay on.
5. Damaged Battery: The issue with your battery may not be that it is low, but that it is actually damaged. In this case, it will never have enough power no matter for how long you charge it.
There are several factors that can cause damage to your Oculus battery such as:
1. End of life: When your Oculus battery reaches the end of its lifespan, it stops functioning properly. It can no longer hold charge for any meaningful length of time
2. Charging after full: if you often leave your headset plugged long after it is fully charged, it can cause damage to your battery over time. Always disconnect the charger once full.
3. Sleep mode often: You may want to be able to quickly resume your game when you wear your headset, and so you leave your Oculus on sleep mode all the time. However, this practice will cause damage to your battery over time. Power off your Oculus if you are not going to resume use in a short while
4. Charging with the wrong cable: If you use a USB cable other than the original Oculus USB to charge your device over a long period, it can damage the battery
Whatever the case, a damaged battery can cause your Oculus to keep turning off when you power it on.
6. Interrupted Firmware Update
Oculus Quest 1 and 2 firmware updates take place automatically, and in the background. Software updates ensure that your device continues to perform well. However, unlike with your phone and PC, there is no prompt to install or restart after an update on Oculus.
The updates are downloaded on Oculus when it is powered on and connected to the internet, and then the installation starts. But, some of the installation is also done when Oculus is powered off.
So, if you power off your device while the On phase of the installation is going on, or if you power on your device while the Off phase of the installation is going on, this will interrupt the update process and can cause a malfunction such as the turning off problem.
7. Hardware Issue
Oculus Quest and Quest 2 are durable and can last a really long time when handled with care. However, poor user handling, accidents, and the rare factory fault can cause your Oculus to develop hardware issues.
And such hardware issues can cause your Oculus to keep turning off. The cause of the hardware issue determines how you fix it. Some you can fix by following the steps below, others would need either a repair or a replacement.
How to Fix Oculus Keeps Turning Off
Please follow the fixes provided below, one step at a time. If one proffered solution does not work for you, move on to the next one. Please do not try two solutions at a time so that you can trace the exact cause of the issue.
1. Disable Oculus Guardian
As explained earlier, Oculus can start turning off when there is a glitch with the Guardian feature. While it is a good thing to have turned on, disabling it has been known to resolve the turning off issue on Oculus.
Please bear in mind that when you disable Guardian Boundary, it is best to use Oculus in a fixed or seated position to prevent you from walking into objects.
The steps to disable the Guardian feature are the same in Quest and Quest 2:
1. Go to developer.oculus.com and sign in using the same account signed in on Quest or Quest 2
2. Set up a developer account
3. Go to Oculus Settings (you can use the App)
4. Select Headset
5. Select More Settings
6. Select Advanced Settings
7. Sign in to your account if prompted
8. Go to Settings
9. Select See All
10. Under Developer Option, toggle to turn off Guardian
OR, after creating your developer account
1. Go to Settings
2. Select More Settings
3. Select Advanced Settings
4. Select Enable Developer Mode
5. Under Developer Options, toggle off Guardian
This is the only way to turn of Guardian without turning off tracking. After completing this process, please try and see if the problem has been resolved.
2. Eliminate Overpowering Light Sources and Make Sure the Room is Evenly Lit
If the issue persists after turning of Guardian, it may be that there is a fault with the Tracking technology. And, one of the factors that influence the performance of Tracking is the lighting in your physical playing area.
Lighting is a very important aspect of a virtual reality experience. If the lighting is too bright or if the room is poorly lit, Tracking is unable to correctly capture your physical space, and this may cause it to malfunction and power off your Quest or Quest 2.
If you are not playing in a room that is naturally lit, ensure that the lights aren’t too bright or too dim for normal vision. Once you have done this, please power on Oculus and see if the issue is resolved.
3. Turn Off Tracking
If sorting out the lighting does not fix the problem, you may try turning off Tracking completely. To turn off tracking:
- Open Settings (you can use the app)
- Select Device
- Toggle to Turn off Tracking
This method also automatically disables Guardian, since Guardian needs Tracking to work.
4. Remove the Silicone Cover
Oculus Quest 2 now comes with silicone cover for the foam facial interface. Oculus intends that this enhance comfort, virtual reality immersion, and hygiene. This silicone cover was added after Oculus had to recall the Quest 2 foam facial interface due to the irritation reported by some users.
However, the silicone cover has been known to cause the turning off on Oculus. Gently remove the cover and power your device on again to see if the problem is resolved.
5. Disable Auto Wake Feature
We explained earlier how the auto wake feature can cause a power control glitch and make your Quest or Quest 2 to keep turning off. This issue has been resolved for many users by turning off the auto wake feature.
To turn off auto wake:
- Connect Oculus to your phone
- Open Oculus app
- Choose Devices
- Select your Quest or Quest 2 Headset
- Select Settings
- Select Power
- At Auto Wake, toggle it off
However, if you are able to power your headset on:
- Open Settings menu
- Select Device
- Select Power
- Turn off Auto Wake
Restart Oculus after making these changes.
Please note that disabling auto wake means that your headset will not automatically wake from sleep when you put it on.
6. Charge Headset
At this stage, we have eliminated the possibility of the problem being caused by settings on your headset and in your environment.
The next step is to check the hardware starting from your Oculus battery. We have explained how a low or damaged battery can cause your Quest or Quest to keep turning off.
To charge your battery:
1. Ensure that the wall outlet/power supply socket is working fine
2. Ensure that your USB cable is the original Oculus cable, or a compatible replacement
3. Plug in your Oculus and leave it to charge.
4. Do not try to power on Oculus until the charging light turns green
5. When it does, disconnect the cable and power Oculus on to see if the problem is resolved
7. Leave Headset On and Plugged In
Leaving your headset on and plugged in is not an ideal situation but it is sometimes the only solution. The reason is, there may be an issue that is causing your battery not to charge properly and power your headset for long.
Or, your battery may be damaged. In other cases, it may be some other hardware damage in the power mechanism that is causing your Quest or Quest to keep turning off.
In any case, leaving the headset on and plugged in is the way to bypass this issue. Please note that this is a temporary solution. You should either replace your battery or take Oculus to a professional for repair.
If you are experiencing this issue when connected to PC, then it could be a result of Power Saving Settings on your PC. To resolve this:
With Oculus connected to your PC,
1. Click the Windows button on your PC keyboard
2. Type in Device Manager
3. Scroll to Host Controller USB Driver and right-click on it
4. Select Properties
5. In the property window that opens, select Power Management
6. Deselect the Allow The Computer To Turn Off This Device To Save Power
7. Click Ok and close the window
8. Perform a Hard Reboot
The issue of Oculus turning off on its own could also be the result of some processes not starting properly. Or, some temporary software glitch or a temporary memory overload. To resolve this, you need to perform a hard reboot.
To perform a hard reboot using the controls:
- Press and hold the Power button for at least 30 seconds
- Wait until the LED lights turn bright, then release the power button.
9. Boot Using the Bootloader Menu
Sometimes, during booting, some data needed to boot your Oculus may be missing or they may not be loaded in the right order. This can cause the system to not boot properly.
The Bootloader is a software programme that is responsible for ensuring that all the data needed for a system to boot properly are loaded into the memory. So, you may try booting from Bootloader to see if it resolves the Oculus turning off issue. To boot from Bootloader:
1. Press and hold both the Power and Volume Down buttons at the same time for at least 10 seconds
2. On the Menu that appears, use the volume up and down buttons to navigate
3. Select Exit and Boot Device
4. Press the Power button to complete the process
5. Oculus will then boot from the Bootloader.
Oculus will take a bit longer than usual to boot after this process. When it boots fully, please confirm if the problem is resolved.
10. Update Firmware
Oculus (Meta) release updates periodically for your Quest or Quest 2. These updates are often meant to fix bugs, improve performance and add features to your Oculus. The turning off issue may be a result of such bugs, and you would need to update your firmware to fix it.
To update your Quest or Quest 2:
1. Put on your Oculus headset
2. Press the Oculus button on the right controller
3. On the Menu that appears, click the Clock icon
4. Select Settings
5. Select System
6. Select Software Update
7. At the top right corner, select to Update is there is any available.
Or
1. Put on your Oculus headset
2. Press the Oculus button on the right controller
3. Select Settings
4. Select About
5. Select Download or Install Updates
It is best to turn on Automatic updates for your Quest to avoid this issue. To turn on auto updates:
1. Connect your headset to your phone
2. Open Oculus app on your phone
3. Select your Quest or Quest 2 headset
4. Select More Settings
5. Select Advanced Settings
6. Select Update Software Automatically
11. Perform a Factory Reset of the Quest or Quest 2
If all the steps above do not work, you may have to reset your headset to factory settings. This will wipe all the personal settings, as well as games and account information from your Oculus headset. But it will preserve every item you downloaded or purchased from your account.
Your Oculus may have acquired some bugs over time that are causing it to keep turning off. A factory reset will fix this.
To reset:
1. Turn off your headset.
2. Hold the power and volume down button on your headset down simultaneously
3. Hold until the start-up screen loads on your headset
4. Use the volume buttons on your control to highlight Factory Reset and press the power button to select it
5. Use the volume buttons to highlight Yes, Erase and Factory Reset
6. Press the power button to select it
You may also reset Oculus using your phone app. To do this:
1. Make sure the headset is fully charged
2. Open the Oculus app on your phone
3. Select Devices
4. Select your Oculus Quest 2 headset
5. Select Advanced Settings
6. Select Factory Reset
7. Confirm Reset
Oculus will restart on its own when the process completes. Try using Oculus again to see if the problem has been resolved.
12. Repair Oculus
If the problem persists, it is likely to be caused by some hardware problem which will need fixing by a professional. Be sure to take your Quest or Quest 2 to a trusted expert in virtual reality systems.
13. Replace Oculus
Alternatively, you may replace your Quest or Quest 2 (view on Amazon) if you can. This is also a good idea to avoid the new issues that are known to develop after repairs.
14. Contact Oculus
If your Quest or Quest 2 is under warranty, you may contact Oculus for a replacement or any other solution they may proffer. Please note that Oculus do not repair their devices.
You may open a support ticket.
Or
Get help from their official online community.