How To Use Or Disable Facebook Messenger In VR With Meta Quest
Meta made it easy to silence Messenger in VR notifications, and it is an optional feature rather than a replacement for Oculus communication methods.
Facebook Messenger can now be used in virtual reality while wearing Meta's Quest or Quest 2 headset. Being able to chat with friends and family in the real world without needing to leave VR, as well as catching up with those with a Quest headset, is a nice added feature, available to anyone with a headset with the latest update.
Meta Quest has offered a chat and voice calling option for quite some time. Using the microphone built into the headset for communication, 'Parties' allow calls to coordinate plans with friends in VR, such as cooperative games or just hanging out in Horizon Worlds, watching a live event together, or relaxing in some other virtual venue. To receive a call, the other person must have a Meta headset, limiting this to strictly a virtual reality way to connect with someone else.
A new addition to communication options, Facebook Messenger, opens up a chat with people using smartphones and computers while still wearing a Quest headset and gaming or using an app in VR. Pressing the Oculus button on the right controller will show the Universal Menu, which is the bar of icons at the bottom of the screen. To open Messenger, select the chat icon, then the Facebook profile image in the upper left. The Oculus profile is below that and can still be used also. Messenger looks and works the same in VR. However, the keyboard is virtual, and it might be faster to choose the microphone icon to type by speaking.
Messenger can be completely disabled in Quest by opening the Messenger windows, selecting settings, which looks like a gear in the lower-left corner, and then logging out. However, this probably isn't necessary since notifications can be disabled to prevent interruptions. The notifications will still come to any devices that don't have them muted. So far, Messenger in VR is an option, not a replacement for Oculus communication methods. Meta is working on voice calls for Messenger, which will also allow verbal communication. In the meantime, 'Parties' with other Quest owners is the only solution to bypass typing or using the speech-to-text option.
It's still possible to use 'Parties' with Meta Quest, and the feature works the same as before. The new feature is that users can start a party from within a Messenger chat. At the top-right, look for the 'Create Party' button. The person on the other end of the Messenger chat still has to have a Meta headset to join the party, but this allows voice chat. During the transition, chatting might be a bit confusing, but it's nice to have the option to communicate with people using Facebook Messenger that are using a computer or phone without having to take off the Quest headset.
Source: Oculus