You can use the following Samsung phones running Android Lollipop 5.0.1 or higher with your Samsung Gear VR:

USB Type-C:

• Galaxy S9
• Galaxy S9+
• Galaxy S8
• Galaxy S8+
• Galaxy Note 8
• Galaxy Note FE
• Galaxy A8
• Galaxy A8+

microUSB:

• Galaxy S7
• Galaxy S7 edge
• Galaxy Note 5
• Galaxy S6
• Galaxy S6 edge
• Galaxy S6 edge+

Note: If you own a Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ or newer Galaxy phone, you'll need to use the new Gear VR headset:

You can use the following Bluetooth 3.0 class 2 gamepads with your Samsung Gear VR:

• SteelSeries Stratus XL

To make sure you can download required software updates, your Samsung Android phone needs to be connected to a mobile carrier for it to work with your Samsung Gear VR.

Note: If you try to use an unlocked phone with your Gear VR, you may come across problems that we won’t be able to fix or it may not work at all.

Before you set up your Samsung Gear VR, turn your Samsung Android phone’s volume on and make sure it’s connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Setting Up Your Headset

Before you connect your phone to your Gear VR headset, connect and adjust your Gear VR straps:

1. Insert the ends of the wider strap through the loops on the Gear VR headset and fasten the Velcro tabs.

2. Connect the hook on the end of the top strap under the metal bar at the top of the headset and snap it in place.

3. Slide the bottom end of the top strap through the loop into the wider strap and fasten the Velcro tab.

Connecting Your Phone

Once you've connected your headset straps, connect your phone to your Gear VR headset:

1. Connect your phone to your Gear VR headset and then put it on.

2. Once you hear the voice instructions, remove your phone from the Gear VR headset.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to download the Oculus app.
4. Open the Oculus app and follow the on-screen instructions to create an account.
5. Reconnect your phone to your Gear VR headset and then put it on.

To avoid scratching the lenses inside your Samsung Gear VR headset, we don’t recommend you wear glasses with your Gear VR headset.

If you wear glasses, try taking them off and using the Focus Adjustment Wheel at the top of your headset to adjust the distance between your phone and the Gear VR’s lenses.

For your safety, we don’t recommend you stand or walk while wearing your Samsung Gear VR headset. Instead, we recommend sitting in a rotating desk chair.

The Samsung Gear VR controller is a motion controller you can use with your Gear VR to interact with certain apps and games (example: Facebook 360, Drop Dead). Before you can start using your controller, you’ll need to pair it with your Android phone.

To pair your controller:

1. Go to your phone's settings to turn on Bluetooth and then open the Oculus app.
2. Tap More and then tap Controllers.
3. Insert 2 AAA batteries into the controller and then press and hold the home button. While your phone is looking for your controller, the LED light at the bottom will cycle through red, green and blue colors. Tap Pair once your controller is found.
4. Tap Next and then follow the on-screen instructions to calibrate your controller.
5. Tap Left Handed or Right Handed to choose which hand you’d like to use with your controller and then tap Next to finalize the pairing.

You can change which hand you’d like to use with your controller by returning to your controller settings.

To unpair your controller:

Go to your phone’s Bluetooth settings to unpair your controller.

The buttons on your controller do the following:

• Trigger: Press to select things
• Touchpad: Press to select things or swipe to browse
• Back button: Press to go back or press and hold to open the Universal Menu
• Home button: Press to go back to Oculus Home or press and hold to reset your controller orientation
• Volume buttons: Press to turn the volume up or down

Note: Not all games fully support the Gear VR controller. To check if the controller is supported, look for the following image when browsing content in the Oculus Store: .

If you’re having trouble using your Samsung Gear VR controller, try these troubleshooting tips:

• If you’re having trouble pairing your controller, open the Oculus app on your Android phone and check the Controllers section of your settings to make sure your controller isn’t already paired. If it’s paired, unpair it from the Bluetooth settings on your phone and then try pairing it again. It that doesn’t work, try restarting your phone.
• If your controller is paired, check to make sure your controller doesn’t have low batteries. To check your battery levels:
  1. Open the Oculus app
  2. Tap More and then tap Controller
  3. Below Paired Controllers, tap your controller to see the battery level for your controller
• Check to make sure you don’t have a gamepad paired to your phone. If you do, try turning it off or unpairing it.
• If your controller isn’t centered right, try resetting your controller orientation by pointing it forward and then pressing and holding the Home button.
• If you notice lag with your controller, check to make sure your phone isn’t downloading large updates over WiFi (example: Google Play Store updates). If still notice some lag, try restarting your phone.
• If your controller starts to drift while using it in VR, try recalibrating it. To recalibrate your controller:
  1. Open the Oculus app
  2. Tap More and then tap Controller
  3. Below Paired Controllers, tap your controller
  4. Tap in the top right and then tap Recalibrate
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to recalibrate your controller

Note: Not all games fully support the Gear VR controller. To check if the controller is supported, look for the following image when browsing content in the Oculus Store: .

You can open the Universal Menu at any time when using your Samsung Gear VR.

To open the Universal Menu:

1. Connect your Samsung Android phone to your Gear VR headset and then put it on
2. Press and hold the back button on the side of your headset to open the Universal Menu

Once you open the Universal Menu, you can view and adjust the following things:

• Wi-Fi: Turn Wi-Fi on or off
• Bluetooth: Turn Bluetooth on or off
• Do Not Disturb: Ignore calls and notifications while using your Gear VR
• Passthrough Camera: See "through" the headset and into your environment by using the camera on the back of your phone
• Reorient: Realign the display to your line of sight
• Volume: Adjust the volume on your mobile device
• Brightness: Adjust the brightness of your display

If you can’t install Samsung Gear VR updates on your Samsung Android phone, you may need to enable the Facebook App Manager and Facebook App Installer. Enabling the Facebook App Manager and Facebook App Installer will let you download and install the latest Gear VR updates.

To enable the Facebook App Manager and Facebook App Installer:

1. From your phone’s home screen, go to Settings.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Scroll down and find the following apps:
   • Facebook App Installer
   • Facebook App Manager
4. Tap each app and then tap Enable.