Gear VR Service is a background process that is present in many Samsung smartphones that support the Gear VR Headset.
It works by checking whether or not the headset is connected to the smartphone or not.
When the headset does get connected to the smartphone, the Gear VR Service automatically detects it and switches to Oculus mode.
Quick Summary
In this post, we will discuss:
- What Gear VR Service is and why it’s useful
- Whether or not it’s useful for you
- How to remove it
So without further ado, let’s get into it.
What is Gear VR Service?
Gear VR Service is an official application that is present in many Samsung smartphones that were released during the Samsung Gear VR Headset’s popularity.
A lot of the phones that Samsung came out with were designed to be fully compatible with the Samsung Gear VR Headset. To ensure this compatibility, they came shipped with the Gear VR Service pre-installed inside of them.
The Gear VR Service had some advantages such as:
- It automatically allows your phone to go into Oculus mode when the Samsung Gear VR Headset is connected.
- It ensures that your phone doesn’t run into any compatibility issues.
- It automatically allows apps that are supported in VR to go into VR mode.
- It manages the resources of your smartphone while the headset is connected to ensure that your VR apps run smoothly and your phone does not crash.
Is the Samsung Gear VR Service Useful for You?
The Samsung Gear VR service sounds great in practice and is definitely useful if you’re a person that has a Samsung Gear VR Headset.
The important thing to note is that the Gear VR Service is only useful to you if you have a Samsung Gear VR Headset. Not only that but you must also use the Samsung Gear VR Headset regularly.
In today’s day and age, people that have the Samsung Gear VR Headset and use it regularly are becoming few and few.
This is because the Samsung Gear VR Headset is a fairly old piece of tech at this point. There are a ton of other newer mobile-based VR headsets that do a much better job of creating virtual reality than the Gear VR.
Hence, very few people actually utilize the Gear VR Headset now.
The newer Samsung phones that come out now have Android 12. Samsung said that Android 12 and higher versions of the OS will not feature compatibility support for the Samsung Gear VR Headset.
Thus, you can’t run the Samsung Gear VR Headset with newer phones.
If you have an older Samsung smartphone that does come with the Gear VR Service, then you have two options:
- If you own a Samsung Gear VR Headset and use it regularly with your smartphone, you can keep Samsung Gear VR Service installed.
- If you don’t have a Samsung Gear VR Headset or you have one but don’t use it, then you can uninstall the Samsung Gear VR Service.
“But why should I uninstall Samsung Gear VR Service?”
Well, there are a number of reasons to uninstall it.
The first and most obvious one is, of course, because you don’t use it. You shouldn’t have any app inside your smartphone that you don’t use since it’s just going to hog up space.
Secondly, the Samsung Gear VR Service is not an app that you turn on manually. Instead, it’s a system app that runs on its own in the background. Hence, whenever your Samsung smartphone is on, the Gear VR Service app is also running in the background.
This can cause a variety of issues for your own. The most obvious one is that since the Gear VR Service is running in the background, it takes up the resources of your battery and causes it to drain more quickly. Please note that this happens during the regular use of your phone.
You don’t need to have a Samsung Gear VR Headset connected to your smartphone for the app to be running in the background. It runs in the background by default.
Thirdly, since it’s always running, it takes up some resources from your smartphone’s RAM as well. Thus, it contributes to your phone slowing down when you try to run other apps.
How to Remove Gear VR Service? (Step-by-Step Instructions)
Before you uninstall Gear VR Service, you need to disable it.
You can disable it by following these steps:
Step 1: Go to your phone’s settings.
Step 2: Scroll down and tap on Apps.
Step 3: Look for “Gear VR” in the Apps list and tap it once you find it.
Step 4: Tap Disable.
Once that’s done, you won’t have to worry about the Gear VR Service app taking up any RAM resources in the background. Since it’s not running, it won’t cause your battery to drain faster, either.
However, it’s still taking up a fair amount of space inside your phone, which could be freed up for other apps, images, and documents.
To remove it, you must remove the Oculus app from your Samsung smartphone.
Follow these easy steps:
Step 1: Go to your phone’s settings.
Step 2: Go to Apps.
Step 3: In the Apps list, look for the Oculus app and tap on it when you find it.
Step 4: Tap Uninstall.
With that, the Gear VR Service app will be disabled and won’t run on your phone and you’ll have much more space inside it as well.
Important note: You should do this only if you’re sure that you have no intention of ever buying or using the Samsung Gear VR Headset in the future.
The Gear VR Service is quite janky now since Samsung no longer officially supports it with its updates.
Hence, when you disable or uninstall it, it might prove difficult to get it back into your smartphone in a functional state again.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Samsung Gear VR?
The Samsung Gear VR is a headset that uses Samsung’s phones to display virtual reality to users.
Can You Connect Samsung Gear VR to a PC?
While there is no official way to do so, there do exist many third-party apps that you can utilize to connect the Samsung Gear VR to a PC.
Can You Connect Samsung Gear VR to a Playstation Console?
No.
You cannot connect the Samsung Gear VR to a Playstation console. This is true for both Playstation 4 and Playstation 5 consoles.
Can I Watch VR Videos on a Samsung Gear VR?
Yes, you can easily watch VR videos on a Samsung Gear VR through a VR player app or on Youtube or Netflix.
What is the Battery Life of the Samsung Gear VR?
The Samsung Gear VR gets power from your smartphone. Hence, it depends on your smartphone’s battery life.
Conclusion
While Samsung Gear VR Service is useful for Samsung Gear VR owners, it sticks out like a sore thumb for non-owners.
If you don’t have a Samsung Gear VR, make sure to uninstall the service from your smartphones, folks.
Does your smartphone have Samsung Gear VR Service? Let us know in the comments section below.