The Samsung Gear VR is an excellent headset but like any new technology has had its teething problems. It will occasionally throw up an issue that can interrupt your experience too. One of which is the where the Oculus app will not start properly. If your Gear VR won’t launch, here’s how to fix it.
The most common symptom you see when the Gear VR won’t launch is when you connect your phone, nothing happens and you just see a black screen. Sometimes this can just be down to lag. If you leave it a minute or so, the Oculus app can appear and begin working as normal. Sometimes it won’t, so that’s when these fixes will come in handy.
How to fix the Gear VR black screen issue
There are a few causes of the Gear VR black screen issue and a range of things you can do to fix them. I have quite a few buddies with Gear VR and we have all had an issue or two when using them. This is the collected knowledge of our experiences.
1. Make sure you use the small lock on the phone connector and retry.
2. Manually stop the Oculus app and retry.
3. Reboot your phone and retry.
4. Uninstall and reinstall the Oculus app.
5. Update your phone to the latest Android and firmware version.
6. Remove any apps you have installed that manage power and retry.
7. Disable the Facebook app and retry.
In all the instances where the Gear VR won’t launch, one of these methods has worked. One of them will likely work for you too.
If you would like to begin from scratch, read ‘How to set up and install your Samsung Gear VR’. It will definitely help get you up and running again!
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