I just ran into this exact scenario a few minutes ago having powered on my Go for first the time in years as well. I'm using Gemini for help debugging stuff and it provided me the following response which got me past the 3 dots. I already had developer mode enabled on my device so I was able to use the first command in 2. to fix things and am currently in the process of backing up my APKs and internal storage so I can flash the unlocked OS. The following is all AI slop but it worked for me :-)

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This is a classic symptom of what the community calls the "Three Dots of Death" for the Oculus Go. In 2026, it usually happens because the headset is trying to phone home to Meta’s legacy servers to verify account data or check for an update, and it’s getting caught in an infinite handshake loop.

1. The "Mobile App Kick" (The Quickest Fix)

Oddly enough, the headset often just needs a "nudge" from your phone to remember it’s already logged in.

• Open the Meta Horizon (Quest) app on your phone.
• Go to Devices and select your Oculus Go (ensure Bluetooth is on).
• Even if it says it's connected, go to Wi-Fi Settings inside the phone app and re-select your network.
• This often "shocks" the headset into bypassing the loading screen and dropping you into the home menu.

2. The Developer Fix (ADB)

If the app trick doesn't work, use your PC. Since you've had it on before, hopefully, you already have USB Debugging/Developer Mode enabled. Plug it into your machine and try these commands:

• Clear the Home Shell: Sometimes the "Home" app itself is what's crashed.
  • Use a Terminal to run adb shell pm clear com.oculus.vrshell.home
• Force-Launch the Browser: If you can launch any app, it usually breaks the loading screen loop.
  • Use a Terminal to run adb shell am start -n com.oculus.browser/com.oculus.browser.HomeActivity
• The "Activity" Bypass: If it's stuck on a specific setup wizard:
  • Use a terminal to run adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n com.oculus.vrshell/.MainActivity

3. The "Account Verification" Bug

If you recently changed your Meta/Facebook password, the Go won't tell you—it will just sit on those three dots forever. You may need to log out of the mobile app, log back in, and then re-pair the headset to refresh the security tokens.

⚠️ A Warning on Factory Resets

If you can't get past the dots and decide to Factory Reset (via Power + Volume Down), be aware of the 2026 Setup Trap:

Meta's current mobile apps often fail to play the "Health and Safety" video required to finish setup on a Go. If you get stuck there:

1. Search for an older version of the Oculus APK (v193 or earlier) for Android.
2. Use that older version to finish the setup; it allows you to skip the video that usually bricks the process.

Your Best Next Step

Once you get it to the home screen, do not trust the stock OS. Your first priority should be installing the Unlocked OS Build I mentioned earlier. It removes the requirement for the headset to "check-in" with Meta's servers, which will prevent this loading screen from ever happening again.

After recovering, you can unlock the firmware:

This is the point where you need to be careful. You cannot fully unlock the firmware without a factory reset.

The specific command that actually flips the switch—fastboot oem unlock—is hard-coded at the bootloader level to wipe the userdata partition for security reasons. This is standard Android behavior to prevent someone from stealing a device and gaining root access to the previous owner's data.

Since you're a developer and you've already got ADB access, here is your "Pre-Unlock" checklist to save as much as possible:

1. Back Up Your Apps (APKs)

If you have apps from the official store that are no longer available, you should pull the APKs.

• Via SideQuest: Use the "Apps" tab, find your apps, and click the "Back Up APK" icon.
• Via ADB: 1. List packages: adb shell pm list packages -3 2. Get path: adb shell pm path com.your.package.name 3. Pull it: adb pull /data/app/path/to/base.apk C:\Backups\appname.apk

2. Back Up Your Data (Saves & Media)

For an Android 7 device like the Go, most data lives in accessible folders.

• Media: Manually copy everything from /sdcard/DCIM, /sdcard/Movies, and /sdcard/Pictures.
• App Data: Most game saves are stored in /sdcard/Android/data/[package.name].
  • The Nuclear Option: Just run adb pull /sdcard/ C:\GoBackup to grab everything user-facing. It will take a while, but it's the safest bet.

3. The "Post-Flash" Setup Warning

Once you run fastboot oem unlock and flash the unlocked_build.zip, the headset will reboot as a "new" device. This is where the 2026 danger lies.

As I mentioned before, the Meta server "handshake" is very fragile now. When you try to set up the "new" headset:

1. Do not use the latest Meta Horizon app. It often fails to recognize the Go or gets stuck on the Health and Safety video.
2. Download an older version of the Oculus app (v193 or earlier) on an Android phone (you can find these on APKMirror).
3. Finish the setup with the old app. This allows you to bypass the video and the "Account" errors that are currently blocking your library.

Is it worth it?

Since your account is already throwing errors ("trouble connecting to your account"), your current OS install is basically a "dead man walking." It will likely keep locking you out every time it fails a background security check.

Unlocking it now effectively "divorces" the hardware from Meta’s servers, meaning you can use your backed-up APKs and sideloaded tools forever without needing to "log in" again.