A VPN on Meta Quest 3 and 3S: How to Install ProxysVPN Without the Store — Developer Mode and One APK File

In short: Meta Quest runs on Android, so our Android app installs on it — the same APK file as on the download page. It cannot come through the Meta Horizon store: VPN apps are admitted there only with Meta's written permission. The route is this: turn on developer mode once, install the file from a computer with one command, then open the app in the headset's library and sign in with the eight-character code.

What you need

Why ProxysVPN is not in the Meta store

Under the rules of the Meta Horizon store (item 4.6.1), a VPN app is admitted only with Meta's prior written permission and a valid App Defense Alliance security certificate. So we install it the way Meta lets you install any app of your own — in developer mode.

Step 1. Developer mode

1. 1Create a developer account on Meta's developer site with the same Meta account as in the headset, and join an organisation or create your own. It is free.
2. 2On the phone open Meta Horizon, find your headset among the devices and open its settings, “Headset Settings”.
3. 3Open “Developer Mode” and turn the switch on. If the headset asks, restart it.

Step 2. Installing from the computer

1. 1Download the APK file for Meta Quest to the computer and install adb (Android SDK Platform-Tools).
2. 2Connect the headset and the computer with the USB-C cable and put the headset on. When it asks about USB debugging, choose “Always allow from this computer”.
3. 3In the folder with the file, run the first command in the block below: the headset must appear in the list with the word device.
4. 4Run the second command. The word Success must appear.

# шлем виден компьютеру
adb devices
# поставить или обновить ProxysVPN
adb install -r ProxysVPN_0.3.14_android-universal.apk

In the file name put your own version — the one you downloaded. Install a new version with the same command: the -r key updates the app over the old one, and your sign-in and settings stay. Without the command line, the SideQuest program does the same, but it is not made by Meta.

Step 3. Signing in and turning on

1. 1In the headset open the app library and in the filter choose “Unknown Sources”: apps installed from a file are listed there. Open ProxysVPN — it opens as a flat window that you can move and stretch.
2. 2Get a sign-in code: in your dashboard, open the device card and press “Code for the app”. The eight-character code is valid for 10 minutes and works once. No account yet? Signing up takes a minute with an email address; Telegram is not needed.
3. 3In the app choose “Enter a code from the website”, type the code on the virtual keyboard and press “Connect”.
4. 4Press “Turn on”. The system shows a VPN connection request — press “OK”.

What it costs

The app itself is free; what you pay for is the subscription: $1.50 per device per month, taken from your balance, with nothing charged to your card automatically. Top-ups start at $5. An account opened on the Russian site is priced in roubles instead: an account keeps the currency it was opened in, whatever card tops it up. A headset is a separate device in the dashboard, with its own code.