Skip to main content
Pico Firmware Update Policies

How to remotely update Pico headset firmware versions (or prevent unapproved PUI updates from occurring)

Luke Wilson avatar
Written by Luke Wilson
Updated over 3 months ago

With ManageXR, you can remotely update Pico headsets and controller firmware versions. You can also lock a headset to a specific firmware version (PUI version), preventing your users from updating to a PUI version you haven't tested yet.

Pico Firmware Update Policy Options

You can choose between 3 firmware update policies for your Pico devices:

Firmware Update Policy

Description

Defer to Device

This policy allows individual devices to update according to their native settings. Pico devices automatically prompt end-users to update firmware when a new version is available. So, choosing this option will typically result in your users having the choice to upgrade to the latest firmware.

Disabled (Default)

This policy locks each device onto the firmware version it currently has installed, preventing upgrades. We recommend this policy if you want to enforce stability and don't care about the specific firmware version your devices are on, e.g., in a clinical trial, using devices with patients, or at a big event where you can't take a chance on a firmware upgrade.

Target a specific firmware version

Selecting a specific firmware version will update your devices to the version of your choice and lock them on that version. Firmware downgrades are not possible. If your devices have already upgraded beyond your target firmware, they will report "Unable to Downgrade" and remain on the higher firmware version. We recommend this approach once you have tested a firmware version and confirmed compatibility with your content.

If you switch a device to a configuration with a newer or "Unmanaged" Pico firmware (PUI) version, it will update to the newer/latest version, and you will not be able to roll back this update.

How to set an Update Policy

  1. Select a configuration of your choice from the Configuration tab

  2. Navigate to Firmware Updates

  3. Select a Firmware Update Policy under the Pico Devices section.

  4. Click Save Changes

How devices download and install target firmware

Download Process

After you set a target PUI version on your configuration, each device with this configuration will check to see if it has an out-of-date PUI version. If it does, the device will download the update in the background. A PUI update is typically 2GB, so it may take some time, depending on your internet speed.

You can track the download progress of a PUI version on your device's detail page.

Downloading the update will not interrupt any user experience currently running on the device.

Once a Pico device's PUI version is up to date with your configuration setting, ManageXR will prevent the device from being manually updated to a different PUI version. This will prevent your users from updating to an untested PUI version.

Installation Process

When you target a specific firmware version, you can also choose how your devices install the target firmware. After the devices download the firmware update in the background (see Download Process above), they will install the new version according to your selected installation option. You can choose from three install options:

User-initiated (Home Screen or Kiosk + Shortcut Menu only)

This option requires that you have the Home Screen or Shortcut Menu enabled. After clicking the kebab menu on the toolbar, a firmware update button will appear above the Home Screen or Shortcut Menu:

  1. Click the kebab menu

  2. Click the firmware update icon

Once selected, another menu will show up, asking the user to postpone or continue with the update.

Prompt to install on boot

This option will prompt the user to update the headset the next time the device is turned on. The prompt can be dismissed if the user does not want to initiate the update, but it will continue to appear on boot until the update is performed. The prompt will look the same as the system update screenshot pictured above.

Begin installation on boot

This option will automatically begin the update the next time the user turns on their device. The prompt cannot be dismissed, effectively forcing the PUI update.

If the battery is <30% when attempting to update a device, a prompt will appear instructing you to charge your device and try again.

FAQs

How do controller firmware updates work?

A PUI update is also linked to a controller update. When you update the PUI and reboot it to the updated version, users on the headset will be prompted to update the controllers. There is no way to skip user input on controller updates, even if your install process option is Begin installation on boot.

How long does it take for a new PUI version to be added to ManageXR's configuration settings?

About two weeks from Pico's official release.


Need more help?

Talk to a member of our team using the chat bubble in the bottom right of your screen, or reach out to support@managexr.com

Did this answer your question?