For those who like using the web browser feature on their Quest headset, it can get a little jarring when their business keeps getting interrupted by the Oculus Assistant Service Keeps Stopping error.
Facebook/Meta promised that the Oculus browser would offer an experience like no other VR system. And in a way, they are absolutely correct. Just not the way they intended.
So just what is this error, and what can you do about it if it starts getting in your way? Step this way to find out.
How To Fix The "Oculus Assistant Service Keeps Stopping" Error
If you are trying to use the web browser on your Quest headset, but this error message keeps cropping up, there are a few different recommendations that might work.
We emphasise that these may not work for everyone, but some users have found them to be effective. Here's what you can do.
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- Start by checking for any updates. For some people, the issue seems to be linked to their Oculus keyboard, and updating that has fixed the issue. For others, updating the Voice Commands app has been effective.
- If updating doesn't work, try disabling voice commands entirely, via the Settings menu.
- Another option is to try a hard reset of your headset. Simply press and hold the power button until the headset shuts down. Then wait for a few moments, and turn it back on.
- Another fix, recommended by Oculus Support, is to complete the following steps:
- Remove the Oculus app from your phone
- Reinstall the app, then restart your phone
- In your headset, navigate to Settings > Experimental > Enable "Hey Facebook"
- Navigate back to Settings > Account > Enable App Sharing (even if you don't have a secondary account/headset)
- Reboot the headset
- Clearing your browser history may also work. Click on the menu, and scroll down to Clear Browser History. This will remove a lot of old data, which could be causing the issue.
- If you're at this stage, and none of these fixes has proved effective, we're getting into more extreme measures. Some people have found that removing all their apps resolves the issue. Whether this means one of those apps causes a compatibility issue is unclear. But you can then reinstall any apps you know you want to use. Do this one by one, to see if any are causing the crash.
- Finally, some people are being driven to factory resetting their headsets. So if you are willing to do this, it is an option that may also help.
If nothing is working, try contacting the Support team for further advice and help.
What Happens When You Factory Reset Your Oculus Quest?
If you are at the point of considering a factory reset, it's worth knowing exactly what that will do to your headset.
The official description is as follows:
Performing a factory reset is irreversible and will remove all account information, downloaded games, and content from the headset.
In other words, it will return your headset back to the state it was in when it left the factory.
But while it removes everything from your headset, it won't affect any purchases you've made in terms of removing them from your account. So as long as you log back in using the same account credentials as before, any and all purchases you've made will still be available to you.
What Is The Oculus Assistant Service Keeps Stopping Issue?
This is an error that seems to be affecting a lot of people at the moment, and the support team have confirmed they are investigating. But that doesn't tell us a whole lot.
The error itself crops up when people are trying to use the web browser function on their VR headset. They receive the message, "Oculus Assistant Service Keeps Stopping". This doesn't tell people why, or how to fix it. But it does mean that they are unable to use the browser.
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The fact that the error is still being investigated suggests that the underlying cause is yet to be identified. Which doesn't particularly help. But there is likely to be some sort of programming issue that will need to be fixed via a software update. While we can't say definitively, some players are reporting this issue only appearing after a firmware update.
In the meantime, try the fixes we've suggested, and with a bit of luck, normal service will be resumed on your Quest headset.