Is your Oculus VR headset flashing a red light when you plug it in for charging, and wondering why this happens?
If your Oculus light is flashing red when charging, you might be using a third-party charging cable or the headset battery is overheated. To fix the red light, turn off your Oculus, wait 20-30 minutes to let the battery cool down, turn it on again, and plug in the genuine charging cable for a successful charge.
In this article, we’ll show you why your Oculus is flashing red light while charging and how to overcome the charging issues.
Why is my Oculus light red when charging?
If your Oculus light is flashing red when you are attempting to charge it, one of the following causes might be at play:
- You are using a third-party charging cable to charge the VR headset.
- The charger or charging cord might have gone bad.
- The Oculus battery is overheating due to continuous use.
- AC power switch or extension power cable is faulty.
- The headset battery is wearing out and needs replacing.
How do I fix my Oculus not charging?
To fix the charging issues of your Oculus headset resulting in a flashing red light, here are some fixes that can help you get things back to normal.
Turn Off Oculus Before Charging
You may have forgotten to turn off your Oculus headset before charging, resulting in a flashing red light.
Therefore, press and hold the “Power” button till you see the boot menu and select “Power off.” Now plug in the charging cable and see if the light turns from red to green after a few minutes.
Avoid Using Third-Party Charging Cord
If you are using a third-party or another device’s charger to charge your Oculus, the compatibility issues cause the headset to blink a red light when charging. When this happens, the headset won’t charge at all, keep on flashing red, and fail to turn on.
So it is best to use only the genuine charger with the headset instead of using an alternative.
Replace Headset Charger
The Oculus charger itself can go bad, failing to charge the battery and blinking red to let you know there’s some trouble. Luckily, original charges are easy to find and replace on various authentic online stores, which can quickly fix your issue.
Change Power Outlet
A faulty AC power outlet or extension cable can also cause your Oculus to flash red when charging it.
Try plugging the headset charger into a different power switch to see if the headset resumes charging. Also, avoid plugging the charger into an extension cord for better voltages.
Cool Down the Headset
You may be using your Oculus for too long, which is overheating the battery and causing charging issues. Although you may not feel the hot battery while wearing the headset, the temperature does tend to rise.
To cool down the battery, do these steps:
- Press the “Power” button on the headset and select “Power off” from the shutdown menu.
- Plug out the charging cable and wait 20-30 minutes to let the battery cool down.
- Plug the charging cable again and verify the headset is charging without showing a flashing red light after a few minutes.
Force Reboot or Reset Oculus Headset
Sometimes, minor technical glitches in Oculus software can lead the headset to misbehave and flash red light while charging.
To resolve this issue, force reboot your Oculus with these steps:
- Press & hold the “Power” button on your Oculus headset for 10-15 seconds to turn it off.
- Wait 30-60 seconds for the system software to refresh the settings.
- Press & hold the “Power” button again to restart your headset and connect the charger.
The force reboot method can also fix the Oculus Go stuck on the loading screen.
If you still see a flashing red light, reset the headset to its default settings. To do this, launch the “Meta Quest” app on your iOS or Android device, select “Menu” from the main screen, and tap “Devices.” Next, choose your headset from the list of lined devices, tap “Advanced Settings,” select “Factory Reset,” and tap “Reset” to confirm the action.
You can also reset your Oculus to defaults using the headset in the following way:
- Turn off your headset.
- Press & hold the “Power” and “Volume -“ buttons on the headset and wait for the power menu to appear on the Oculus screen.
- Press “Volume -“ to go to the “Factory Reset” option and press “Power” to select it.
- Highlight “Yes, erase and Factory reset” and press “Power” to initiate the reset process.
- Afterward, plug the headset charger into the primary power source and see if it is charging without blinking red on the headset.
INFO: Make sure to cloud backup your Oculus headset before factory resetting it to its default settings.
Replace Oculus Battery
It is possible that your Oculus headset’s internal battery is worn out and needs replacement. However, do not try to replace the battery yourself, as it is not user accessible and requires technical expertise. Instead, take your Oculus headset to an authorized repair shop near you.
Note: It is always best to contact the official support team before attempting any major repairs or replacements, as it can void your warranty or cause further damage to your device.
Contact Meta Quest Support
If all else fails, you can contact Meta Quest Support for further assistance with your Oculus headset. They can help you diagnose and troubleshoot the issue with your headset and suggest any necessary repairs or replacements.
To do this, open your phone or PC browser, go to the Meta Support page, and click “Submit a Support Ticket.” This will take you to the sign-in page; log in to your Oculus/Meta account and report the issue to the Support team through email, chat, or WhatsApp.
Ensure you provide your name, associated device manager ID, and headset serial number while submitting the ticket.
Conclusion
In this detailed guide, we’ve explored the possible reasons causing the Oculus light flashing red when charging and discussed solutions you can try before contacting Meta Quest support for further troubleshooting.
Hopefully, this article has helped you answer your queries, and you are now able to see yourself back in the VR world.