What Caregivers Need to Know When VR Therapy Apps Shut Down (RIP Workrooms)

When a VR therapy platform disappears: the caregiver's emergency playbook

Hook: If your loved one uses VR for anxiety, PTSD, or mood therapy, a sudden app shutdown can feel like losing a therapist mid-session. Between lost progress, inaccessible session histories, and months of habit-building at risk, caregivers need a clear, fast plan.

The situation now (2026): why this matters

Late 2025 and early 2026 brought major shifts in the VR ecosystem. Meta announced it's discontinuing Horizon Workrooms as a standalone app, effective February 16, 2026, and paused sales of commercial Meta Quest SKUs and managed services on Feb 20, 2026. That move is one signal among several recent trends: consolidation of consumer VR offerings, growing regulatory scrutiny, and a pivot toward clinically focused, interoperable digital therapeutics.

"Meta has made the decision to discontinue Workrooms as a standalone app, effective February 16, 2026."

For caregivers guiding patients through VR-based mental health programs, those trends mean one thing: plan for interruptions now. This article uses Meta’s Workrooms shutdown as a case study and gives step-by-step guidance to back up VR therapy data, export progress, and keep therapy continuity intact.

Quick action checklist — do this in the first 48 hours

1. Document what’s in use: app names, account emails, therapist/clinic contact, device serial numbers.
2. Contact the clinician or app vendor to ask about export options and migration plans.
3. Back up local files: session videos, screenshots, exported reports, and device settings.
4. Request official data exports under HIPAA (US) or GDPR/data portability (EU) if applicable.
5. Create a therapy continuity plan with the clinician: alternative platform, interim non-VR options, and a timeline.

Why acting fast matters

VR therapy programs often store progress metrics, exposure hierarchies, and clinician notes inside proprietary platforms. If an app shuts down without a migration path, those records can be lost or become inaccessible — which undermines continuity, research-backed dosing, and clinician oversight. Early documentation preserves both clinical history and insurance-ready records.

How to inventory and capture progress

Begin with a calm, systematic inventory. This creates a record you can share with clinicians, vendors, or insurers.

1. Create a clear inventory

• Apps & accounts: List every VR app used for therapy, the account email, and password/reset steps.
• Devices: Record device make, model, OS version, serial number, and whether it’s managed by a clinic or personal.
• Therapy specifics: Program name, clinician name, start date, frequency, and measurable outcomes used (PHQ‑9, GAD‑7, subjective SUDS, exposures completed).

2. Capture in-session evidence

Many platforms let clinicians export reports; where that’s not available, record what you can locally:

• Use device screen recording or external capture (OBS, HDMI capture via a dock) to save session video.
• Take time-stamped screenshots of progress screens, exposure logs, and achievement badges.
• Export any clinician notes or PDFs that are available via the app or clinician portal.

3. Preserve objective metrics

For therapy continuity, the numeric measures matter:

• Write down baseline and recent scores (PHQ‑9, GAD‑7, PCL‑5, SUDS levels or in-app anxiety ratings).
• Export CSV/JSON files if the vendor offers a raw-data download.
• If there’s wearable integration (heart rate, galvanic skin), export or screenshot those summaries.

How to request and export data — your rights and best practices

Different rules apply depending on where you live and whether a clinician is a covered entity under HIPAA, but there are common-sense steps caregivers can follow.

1. Ask the clinician first

Your clinician should be your first ally. Ask them:

• Do they retain clinical notes and session logs outside the VR platform (EHR or secure drive)?
• Can they export a consolidated therapy report for sharing with another provider?
• Do they have a migration plan if a vendor discontinues service?

2. Make a formal data request to the vendor

Use a concise, documented request. Include patient identifier and specify formats you need (PDF for notes, CSV/JSON for raw metrics, MP4 for session captures).

Sample email template (adapt for your jurisdiction):

To: support@vendor.example
Subject: Data export request for [Patient Name] - [Account Email]

Hello,

I am a caregiver for [Patient Name], account [email]. Please provide a full export of all therapy data associated with this account, including:
- Session logs and timestamps
- Clinician notes and messages
- Exported outcome measures (PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5)
- Any CSV/JSON raw data and media files (recordings/screenshots)

If you require a signed authorization or proof of guardianship, please let me know the steps and documents required.

Thank you,
[Your Name] | [Phone] | [Relationship]
  

3. Use legal rights where applicable

• US (HIPAA): Ask the clinician or covered entity to provide a copy of the patient’s protected health information (PHI).
• EU (GDPR): Request data portability and a machine-readable copy of personal data.
• Other regions: Check local privacy laws and clinic policies; many vendors voluntarily provide exports.

Technical backup methods: capture everything you can

Even when a vendor doesn’t have a formal export tool, you can still preserve critical data.

Screen and session capture

• Use built-in device recording (some Quest models support local recording to storage).
• For higher fidelity, capture output through an HDMI adapter and record on a PC with OBS Studio.
• Save recordings in standard formats (MP4) and include timestamps and a short text note about context.

Local config and calibration

Document headset settings, calibration files, and any environment maps used for exposure therapy. These can be crucial for recreating sessions on a new platform.

Secure storage and encryption

Store backups in at least two places: a local encrypted drive and a secure cloud backup. Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication on cloud accounts.

Finding alternative VR platforms and non-VR fallbacks

After you've secured data, you need a continuity plan. Evaluate alternatives with these criteria in mind.

Evaluation checklist for alternative VR platforms

• Clinical focus: Is the platform specifically designed for mental health (exposure therapy, CBT, mindfulness)?
• Evidence base: Are there published trials, peer-reviewed studies, or clinical partnerships?
• Data portability: Can the platform import/export patient progress in standard formats (CSV/JSON, FHIR-compatible)?
• Compliance: HIPAA business associate agreements (US), GDPR readiness (EU), and encryption at rest and in transit.
• Device compatibility: Runs on headsets you own or can obtain (Quest family, HTC Vive/Focus, Varjo, Pico/ByteDance devices, PSVR2 where clinically supported).
• Clinician dashboard: Does the therapist have a usable clinician portal for tracking progress and making dosage decisions?
• Cost & support: Licensing model, staff training, and migration help.

Common platform categories and examples (as of 2026)

Note: vendor features change rapidly. Verify current offerings and compliance directly before migrating.

• Clinical VR vendors: Companies focusing on exposure therapy, pain management, and behavioral health (look for platforms with published outcomes and clinical deployment).
• Enterprise VR platforms: Hardware-agnostic platforms that support custom clinical apps and stronger enterprise data controls.
• Hardware options: Standalone headsets (Quest series earlier; now many clinics are using mixed hardware like HTC Vive, Varjo, and Pico devices depending on regional availability).
• Non-VR alternatives: Telehealth video visits, smartphone-based CBT and mindfulness apps (Headspace, Calm, CBT-focused apps), and in-person exposure workarounds.

How to pick the right replacement

1. Work with the clinician to match therapeutic mechanisms (e.g., VR exposure must allow graded exposures comparable to the previous program).
2. Prioritize platforms that accept data imports or allow clinicians to manually recreate exposure hierarchies from your exports.
3. Ask for a trial or sandbox clinician account so the care team can test setup and user experience before migrating patients.
4. Consider hybrid plans: continue some sessions in VR when available, and use telehealth or app-based assignments in between.

Preserving therapeutic value beyond the app

Therapy isn't only held in software. Preserve the human and behavioral components.

• Keep clinician relationships: clinicians can often adapt plans across platforms if they have session notes and outcome history.
• Maintain exposure hierarchies and self-practice routines in a shared document or secure portal so patients can continue graded practice.
• Use standardized scales (PHQ‑9, GAD‑7, PCL‑5) regularly and store results in an accessible file or EHR.
• Integrate non-VR practice: breathing exercises, mindfulness, in-vivo exposures, and homework assignments that mirror in-VR tasks.

Case study: a caregiver’s timeline after Workrooms shutdown

Scenario: Sarah cares for her partner, Miguel, who used a VR-based mindfulness/exposure program inside Horizon Workrooms to manage panic disorder. When Meta announced the Workrooms shutdown, Sarah followed these steps.

1. Within 24 hours she documented accounts, session frequency, and the clinician contact.
2. She asked the clinician for an export of session logs and clinician notes; the clinician confirmed they had copies in the clinic EHR.
3. Sarah recorded two weeks of sessions using the headset’s local recording and an HDMI capture for higher-quality archives.
4. They tested a clinical VR vendor with a 30‑day trial and recreated Miguel’s exposure hierarchy manually while continuing telehealth check-ins.
5. After migration, Miguel’s clinician uploaded the exported session CSV to the new platform and resumed weekly monitoring with PHQ‑9 and in-app anxiety ratings.

Result: minimal therapy interruption and preserved progress metrics for insurance and clinical records.

2026 trends caregivers should watch

• Consolidation of consumer VR: Big firms are retrenching from general-purpose VR for work—expect more targeted clinical platforms to survive and grow.
• Interoperability push: Healthcare standards (FHIR) and data portability demands are increasing. Vendors that offer FHIR-compatible exports and clinician APIs will be easier to migrate to.
• Regulatory clarity: The pathway for digital therapeutics and clinical VR continues to solidify; expect more FDA-clearances and stronger compliance requirements through 2026.
• Hybrid care models: Clinicians are blending VR, telehealth, and mobile apps to improve resilience against platform shutdowns.

Practical templates and tools

Must-have tools for caregivers

• OBS Studio or vendor screen-recording tools
• Encrypted external drives (hardware-encrypted SSD)
• Secure cloud backup (with two-factor authentication)
• Spreadsheet software to track scores and session dates
• Phone camera for quick evidence capture

Email template to clinician for continuity planning

Hello [Clinician Name],

We were notified that [Vendor/Platform] is discontinuing service. Could we schedule a short call to:
1) Confirm what records you hold in the clinic EHR;
2) Request an export of recent session notes and outcome measures;
3) Discuss an interim plan (alternative platform or non-VR tasks) to avoid interruption.

Availability: [2-3 times]

Thanks,
[Your Name] / Caregiver for [Patient]
  

Final checklist before you finish

• Inventory completed and saved in two locations
• Data export requested from clinician and vendor
• Session captures saved and labeled with timestamps
• Therapy continuity plan agreed with clinician (platform, schedule, interim non-VR work)
• Security: backups encrypted and account access documented

Bottom line — keep control of care, not the app

Platform shutdowns like Meta’s Workrooms are a painful reminder that therapy progress should not live inside a single, proprietary silo. As a caregiver, your priority is continuity of care: document, export, and collaborate with clinicians. That preserves progress, keeps clinical decision-making evidence-based, and gives you options when a vendor exits the market.

Takeaway actions right now

1. Create your inventory and back up one session recording today.
2. Contact the clinician to request official records and a continuity plan.
3. Explore clinical VR vendors with strong data export and compliance features.

If you want a ready-made checklist and email templates to download, sign up for our caregiver toolkit. We update it with the latest 2026 vendor contacts and migration tips so you can act fast and keep therapy on track.

Call to action: Download the free VR Therapy Backup Checklist and Migration Templates now — protect your loved one’s progress before the next platform change.

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