Meta announced updates to its AI-powered glasses on Tuesday, enhancing the ability to hear conversations more clearly in noisy environments. The company stated this feature will initially roll out to Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses in the United States and Canada. Additionally, the glasses will receive another upgrade enabling users to play Spotify tracks that match their current field of view.
For instance, if you're looking at an album cover, the glasses can automatically play songs by that artist. Alternatively, if you're viewing a Christmas tree surrounded by presents, it could suggest festive music. While this addition leans more toward a novelty, it highlights Meta's vision of connecting visual inputs with actionable responses within apps.
In contrast, the conversation focus feature appears significantly more practical. First unveiled during Meta’s Connect event earlier this year, this AI-driven function uses the open-ear audio system of the glasses to amplify the voice of the person speaking directly to you. Wearers can adjust the level of amplification manually by swiping along the right temple of the frame or through device settings, allowing for precise tuning based on surroundings—whether in a busy restaurant, bar, club, commuter train, or other loud environments.
The real-world effectiveness of this feature remains to be thoroughly tested. However, the concept of using smart wearables as hearing assistance tools isn't exclusive to Meta. Apple’s AirPods already offer a Conversation Enhancement mode designed to help users better focus on nearby speakers, with Pro models recently gaining support for FDA-regulated hearing aid functionality.
While the conversation focus capability is currently limited to the U.S. and Canada, the Spotify integration is available in a broader set of English-speaking markets, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Spain, Sweden, UAE, UK, and the United States.
The software update (v21) will first be released to users enrolled in Meta's Early Access Program, which requires joining a waitlist and receiving approval. A wider rollout is expected to follow shortly after.
