Meta for Work updates
From a change in model to an opportunity
January 21, 2026
In recent days, Meta has announced a significant evolution in its extended reality headset model for professional environments. As of February 20, 2026, Meta Horizon Managed Services (HMS) – the end-to-end solution for managing virtual reality devices and experiences – will no longer be available for purchase as a commercial service, together with the enterprise-specific SKUs of Meta Quest.
The sale of headsets, including Meta Quest 3 and 3S, will remain unchanged and devices will continue to be available for any use case, both personal and professional. At the same time, access to HMS will become open and available at no additional cost.
This announcement has understandably raised questions among organizations already using XR or considering its adoption. However, when looking at the change in depth, the underlying message is clear: this is not a withdrawal from the XR ecosystem, but rather a redefinition of how the technology is accessed, managed, and scaled.
HMS is not going away: it becomes free and remains available over time
From February 20, 2026 onwards, HMS will be available at no cost, both for existing customers and for new deployments. In addition, Meta has confirmed that the service will be supported in maintenance mode at least until 2030, ensuring stability and operational continuity over the coming years. In practical terms, this means that:
- HMS will continue to operate as a device registration and enrollment portal.
- It allows organizations to manage headset provisioning and integrate with third-party MDM platforms.
- No new functional developments are expected, but availability and support are guaranteed at least until 2030.
A step forward for the XR ecosystem
In this context, what may initially appear as a step back is, in fact, a significant step forward for the XR ecosystem.
By removing the entry cost for device management systems, one of the most common barriers in XR projects is eliminated, particularly during pilot phases or scaling initiatives. This shift has a direct impact on:
- Education and public institutions, where budgets are often limited and centralized device management is essential.
- Enterprise environments, which aim to deploy XR in a progressive, controlled, and scalable way.
- Organizations that previously saw device management as an obstacle rather than an enabler.
The expected outcome is clear: broader adoption, more real-world use cases, and more sustainable projects over time, reinforcing the role of XR as a long-term technology that integrates naturally with others such as AI and robotics.
A more open, flexible, and vendor-agnostic market
At INVELON, we see this moment as an opportunity to simplify XR adoption and help organizations move forward with confidence. That is why we have designed a dedicated bundle focused on:
- Strategic hardware sourcing, tailored to each use case and extensible to multiple manufacturers, in line with our vendor-agnostic approach.
- Onboarding and deployment of device and experience management tools such as Horizon Managed Services (HMS).
- Enterprise-grade support and operational continuity.
- Long-term XR strategy definition, integrated with emerging technologies such as AI and robotics to generate real impact.
Our goal is clear: to absorb technological complexity, so our customers can focus on value, not on management.
Looking ahead
With support guaranteed at least until 2030, HMS provides a solid foundation on which to build. At the same time, this change fosters a more open, competitive, and mature ecosystem, allowing organizations to launch XR initiatives, validate their real impact, and objectively assess the different options available on the market.
XR is therefore entering a new phase: fewer barriers, broader access, and a stronger focus on real-world usage.
If you would like to explore how this new scenario could fit your organization, or assess hardware and management alternatives from a truly vendor-agnostic perspective, INVELON will be glad to support you.
