What happens to data when a VR session ends?

A session can end with a result saved for the trainer. The next person should not see the previous participant’s name, project or account. Check this on the same headset using two test accounts. Returning to the home screen does not tell you who can still access the data.

Separate retention from access

A pupil may need their project again next lesson. A trainer may need to retain an employee's result. The next person using the headset should not be able to open either record. Agree what must be retained separately from who can access it. A record's existence is not necessarily a fault; access to it is the relevant question.

Before choosing a handover procedure, ask the administrator and app supplier to describe five places where data may reside:

• App data on the headset: work in progress, exercise results, participant settings and copies waiting to upload. Are these associated with an account or the whole installation?
• System data and shared files: screenshots, recordings, downloads or recently opened files, where the chosen mode provides these features. Who can reach them outside the app?
• Accounts and sign-in: the app account, the device account, and browser or SSO sign-in. Establish which remain active when the participant finishes.
• The app’s cloud service: results, projects and history associated with a user or group. Which records should remain available to the trainer?
• The device management console: configuration, administrator activity and device usage records. These are a separate dataset from a learner’s results.

Not every app uses all five. For each relevant location, record the service name, authorised roles and expected state after the session. ManageXR’s data map distinguishes device information, administrator accounts, uploaded apps and files. It describes the MDM service; establish the training app’s behaviour with its own supplier.

What ending a session does

In the ManageXR guide to Meta Shared Mode, the End Session section and FAQ say that app data stays on the device between sessions from Admin App 1.7.84. The introduction still describes clearing it. Test the version installed on your headsets. Other modes and management systems may behave differently.

The operator's instructions should identify the headset, system version, management app version and training app version. Name the separate actions: finishing the exercise, signing out of the app and ending the device session. Ask the supplier which actions are required, and in what order, to preserve the intended result and prepare the headset for another person.

Returning to a home screen or taking off the headset does not establish that sign-out has occurred. Test access from the next participant's perspective.

Rehearse with fictional data

Use a dedicated test device configured for the planned activity. Prepare two test accounts, TEST-A and TEST-B, and fictional content such as a project called “TEST-A-27”. Do not use pupil or employee details or actual assessment results. If the product does not support test accounts, arrange a demonstration in an environment prepared by its supplier.

Write down the expected outcome first: B can start their own exercise without access to A's work, while the trainer retains any result required by the activity. Success should not depend on everything disappearing by accident.

1. Participant A completes a short exercise. They save the fictional project through the intended workflow. The trainer records where the result appears and whether it is available in the intended dashboard.
2. The operator follows the agreed end-of-session instructions. They record the visible confirmations. The trial does not include clearing app data, deleting accounts or performing a factory reset.
3. Participant B takes over the headset. They open the app from the beginning and try to start their own task. They inspect the visible name, project list, recent results and any available controls for returning to the previous account.
4. The operator inspects other permitted locations. Where the configuration provides a browser, gallery or file list, they look only for the fictional TEST-A-27 marker. A missing menu button does not establish who can access the stored record.
5. The trainer checks the retained result. An authorised account can still see the data intended to remain. B then completes a separate trial to confirm that their results do not attach to A’s account.

If the activity includes breaks, run a separate trial of removing and putting on the headset. This distinguishes resuming the same person's work from handing the device to somebody else. These are proposed tests for the actual configuration, not results of research we have conducted.

Set the handover criteria

A headset is ready for the next participant when the instructions produce a predictable outcome: the previous account is not active for them, their task starts in the right place, and any record required by the trainer has been retained. Separately confirm that accessible files and recordings do not expose the previous participant's material.

If the outcome fails these criteria, mark the device as not ready for shared use. Record versions, steps and the visible symptom using the fictional marker, then refer the issue to the administrator or app supplier. Avoid attempting an improvised fix by removing data whose purpose is unclear.

Records outside the headset also matter. ManageXR’s analytics documentation describes app and device usage information, including later uploads of records collected without a connection. Ending a participant’s activity and retaining fleet activity history are separate matters.

Keep a short trial record: configuration, outcomes for A and B, trainer access, other retained records and date. Repeat the affected scenario when sign-in or session handling changes. That does not require repeating acceptance of the entire classroom.

When to repeat the test

After changing the app, sign-in or management settings, repeat the A/B test on one headset before returning the equipment to use. Check again what the next participant can access and whether the trainer still has the required record.

ManageXR warns that Force Install deletes app data. Before using it, decide which results need to be kept and how to recover them.

Who is responsible for access and retention

Decide who can see results and recordings, who can change headset settings and who should receive an incident report. The facilitator should be able to take a headset out of rotation without deleting data.

For personal data, the relevant controller decides the purpose, lawful basis, retention period and processor arrangements, with the DPO if one has been appointed. GDPR, particularly Articles 5, 28 and 32, covers storage limitation and safeguards appropriate to risk. The A/B test helps check access on the particular setup.

Send us your shared-headset workflow, including the apps, successive groups and what needs to remain after the activity. These details provide a basis for specifying the configuration and its acceptance criteria.