Meta will no longer require their VR headset users to log in with a Facebook account. Instead, every user will now need a new meta account that will not be linked to Facebook in any way. The company is now rolling out this new account feature next month for existing and new Quest users.

This account is not on social media profiles and it lets users log into their VR devices and manage their purchased apps in one place according to the company. They did stress that every future device will require Meta accounts as well. Although this new feature is not a social media platform or a profile in any way, it does have a pretty big social aspect to it, as at least four VR headsets. When you create a meta account, you will have to create a horizon profile with a username, avatar, and profile picture that will let you use the ‘metaverse’.

Oculus Friends will now become followers and you will automatically follow them back. You can, of course, unfollow people and stop others from following you, but you will still have the option to link your meta account to Facebook and Instagram, so you will be able to chat with friends in the VR version of Messenger. Although Facebook has a one-account-per-person, rule media is totally fine with you having multiple accounts as you might have one for work and another for hanging out with friends.

These new accounts will offer great new privacy controls, including the option to make your profile private and manually approve follower requests. This is a very big shift for the company as they continue to place more focus on their vision of the Metaverse. However, the company is kind of scaling back on its ambitions. In the last few months, they killed off a lot of reality labs projects.