Oct 21, 2021

Unlocking Oculus Go

Oculus VR

As John Carmack shared last month, we are making an unlocked OS build for the Oculus Go headset available, allowing full root access. This opens up the ability to repurpose the hardware for more things today. The guide below describes how to use the software contained in the download to gain low-level access to the Oculus OS on the Oculus Go device. Please note that unlocking your device is not reversible and you will no longer receive OTA updates. This process will not work on any other device or OS.

Download the unlocked OS build for Oculus Go

Oculus Go SW Unlock

Oculus Go Software Unlock Guide

What can I do with an unlocked Oculus Go?

This process puts the device in a state where the bootloader does not signature check the boot.img, and does not enforce dm-verity verification via the kernel command line. This allows you to safely replace the boot.img with your own version, which in turn allows you to replace the system.img.

How do I unlock the device?

Connect the Oculus Go to a computer by USB cable.
Allow ADB on the headset by enabling developer mode.
Reboot into adb sideload mode using one of the following methods:

Issue the command adb reboot sideload.
Issue the command adb reboot bootloader, or hold down Volume Up button when booting from the powered off state to get to bootloader, select the Sideload menu option, and press the Power button.

From your computer, issue the command adb sideload unlocked_build.zip.
Wait for completion and for the device to reboot.
Reboot to bootloader using one of the following methods:

Issue the command adb reboot bootloader.
Hold down the Volume Up button when booting from off to get to the bootloader
Issue the command fastboot oem unlock. This step WILL factory reset your device, erasing all data.

The device is now unlocked and commands like fastboot flash and adb root will now be accepted.

How do I know when my device is unlocked?

The device will show a warning screen during the boot process if the boot.img does not contain an Oculus signature. This is a warning that the device has been unlocked and may be running modified software.

Can I lock my device again?

The device may be put into a locked state again by issuing the `fastboot oem lock` command. This command will also wipe your user data upon execution to prevent persistent rootkits or other malicious software. When in a locked state, the device will check the boot.img to see if it contains an Oculus signature. If it does not, the device will not boot. Only official Oculus-signed images may be run when the device is in a locked state.

We hope access to the OS build helps you repurpose Oculus Go for more things today.