A standalone headset: the computer cannot see it, or the app will not run

Glasses are a peripheral. A Quest, Pico or VIVE is a whole Android computer, and it behaves like one: the port does nothing until developer mode is on, the first cable connection stops at a prompt on the headset's own screen, and installing an app is a separate permission from being allowed to launch it.

Why "install the ADB driver" is usually the wrong first move

The three failures look identical from the computer's side and have nothing in common underneath:

1. Nothing appears at all. Until developer mode is enabled and USB debugging is switched on, the headset exposes no ADB interface — the port is a charger as far as the machine is concerned. On Windows this is where people install drivers for an hour; on macOS and Linux the same silence looks like a broken cable. Both are worth eliminating before anything else, because a charge-only USB-C cable produces exactly this symptom.

2. It appears, then waits. The first connection asks the headset to trust this computer. If the prompt never shows up, the usual reason is a stale authorisation list, or a previous "deny" that was remembered — revoking USB debugging authorisations in the headset's developer settings brings the prompt back. This is the single most common point where people conclude that ADB "does not work".

3. It installs, then dies on launch. Installing and running are different permissions. An app can target a phone form factor, need Play services the headset does not ship, or declare an activity the headset has no entry point for. Pico headsets are stricter than Meta's about phone apps, and bundles (APKM, XAPK) are not single APKs even though the filename suggests otherwise.

What the probe can and cannot tell you

The ADB probe reads the USB descriptors and performs the ADB greeting, so it can answer three questions without installing anything: is an ADB interface exposed, is the headset waiting for your approval, and does it accept the connection. That is the whole of the "computer cannot see it" branch.

It cannot read the model, the battery or the logs yet — those need the authorisation step to complete and a shell session to open, which is a deliberate boundary for now and the next piece of work. Wireless ADB is out of reach entirely: WebUSB speaks to a cable, and there is no browser API for ADB over TCP.

Enable the right setting first

• Meta Quest — developer mode on for the account in the Horizon phone app, then in the headset Settings → System → Developer → USB connection dialog. Meta's instructions.
• Pico — Settings → General → About, tap the software version repeatedly, then Settings → Developer → USB debugging. Pico developer docs.
• VIVE Focus / XR Elite — Settings → General → About, tap the build number seven times, then Settings → Developer → USB debugging. VIVE support.

Then use a cable that carries data. If the picker stays empty after that, the answer is in the headset's settings, not in this page.