If you live in the UK and have a pair of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses or sunglasses, they’ve just got a big software update that gives them a brand new handy feature. Your glasses were already clever enough to take photos and videos, play music and livestream to Instagram, but now they can also answer questions about whatever you’re looking at.
Using the camera nestled in the frames to peer at what’s in front of you, all models of Ray-Ban Meta can now respond with information or suggestions if you ask the gadget something. This could make them much more useful day to day and fulfil the initial promise of the glasses, the latest version of which was released back in 2023.
After the free software download via the Meta View app on your iPhone or Android phone, the glasses will respond to queries such as, ““Hey Meta, What am I looking at?”.
“Imagine asking your glasses “Hey Meta, what’s the name of that flower?” or “Hey Meta, tell me about this landmark” and getting instant answers,” Meta said. “This hands-free AI is a game-changer for productivity and exploration, opening up a world of possibilities for capturing, learning, and sharing experiences.”
The firm, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said the tech can also do things such as translate French or Italian wine labels and read them out to you, or tell you about the Van Gogh that’s hanging in front of you in a museum.
“Whether you’re exploring new places, capturing memories, or just curious about your surroundings, these AI-powered features are here to make your everyday experiences even more amazing. Just ask, and your glasses will do the rest,” Meta said in a blog post.
These Meta AI features have been available since 2024 in the US and other regions but have only just made their way to these shores. It comes after Meta recently made a big push to update its Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp products with Meta AI, a chatbot-style assistant that appears as a free tool in the apps after they update.
I wore the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses as sunglasses for a year and found them an incredibly fun gadget to use. When you buy a physical product and are aware of the AI tools onboard that can do things like answer queries or play podcasts into your ears, you know what you’re getting yourself into.
I’m less impressed with the addition of Meta AI to Meta’s apps, where it is not optional and is put front and centre whether you like it or not. Though WhatsApp messages are end-to-end encrypted, messages that tag Meta AI for help are not, which opens up a bit of a Pandora’s Box when it comes to privacy.
Lest we forget, these AI tools rely on us as users ceding our private over to Meta in exchange for services. This true on its free messaging apps as well as paid-for hardware like the Ray-Ban Meta. AI is trained on the data it receives, so Meta has to be able to process it for it to work, and will collate that data to target you with advertising on its free platforms and across the web.
Still, I’ll be the first to admit the Ray-Ban Meta are fun and an impressive use of tech. With the launch of these software perks in the UK the glasses just got more useful, but it’s best to be aware of what you’re getting into by using them.