Don’t Trash Your Old Meta Portal: How to Turn It Into a Custom Smart Home Hub

Meta has unexpectedly breathed new life into its legacy Portal hardware by quietly unlocking ADB (Android Debug Bridge) developer access across the entire product lineup.

In a recent video update posted by Meta CTO Andrew “Boz” Bosworth on his Facebook Profile, he showcased a custom smart home hub he “vibe coded” using modern AI tools. He used the opportunity to announce that the very same developer tooling ecosystem utilized for Meta Quest headsets now officially supports Portal devices. This means users can finally repurpose their forgotten smart displays into powerful, customized Android devices.

Getting started with this modification is surprisingly straightforward and does not require complex hardware jailbreaks. Users simply need to navigate to the Portal’s Settings menu, find the Debug options, and toggle on USB Debugging or ADB access. From there, connecting the Portal to a computer via a high-quality USB-C cable (or removing the hidden rubber port plug on a Portal TV) unlocks full command-line capability. Once authorized through the standard Android SDK platform tools, users can instantly push apps using the adb install command.

This policy shift effectively transforms old hardware into a blank canvas for smart home enthusiasts and hobbyist developers. If you are looking to build your own dashboard or explore what is possible, you can check out the official walkthrough on the Meta Horizon OS Developer Blog or download starter blueprints directly from the Meta Quest Portal Samples GitHub Repository. Whether you want to sideload a Home Assistant panel or build a custom photo frame from scratch, these newly opened developer channels offer an excellent way to keep your Portal out of the landfill.