- What Meta AI glasses are
- How to pair Meta AI glasses with your phone
- How to wake and talk to Meta AI on your glasses
- What you can ask Meta AI to do
- Telling people when you record with Meta AI glasses
- Your data and privacy settings on Meta AI glasses
- Where Meta AI glasses are available
- Using Meta AI glasses in a small business
- If your Meta AI glasses aren't responding
- Frequently asked questions
To use Meta AI glasses, pair them with the Meta AI app, then say Hey Meta or tap and hold the touchpad to ask for photos, calls, translations and answers. Meta's pairing steps are below. The detail people trip over: tell people around you when you record.
Smart glasses that take photos, answer questions and read signs aloud used to feel like science fiction. Now they're on the high street, and if you've just unboxed a pair, or you're thinking about one for client visits and content creation, the first hour can feel fiddly.
Here's how to set up Meta AI glasses, wake the assistant, capture photos and video, manage your data, and use them considerately around other people. The steps come from Meta's own help centre, and where a detail depends on your model or app version, I'll say so.
What Meta AI glasses are
Meta's glasses page lists four lines: Meta Glasses, Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta and Meta Ray-Ban Display. They're glasses with a built-in assistant, a camera, microphones and speakers, and they work alongside the Meta AI app on your phone.
The assistant is called Meta AI. You talk to it, and it can answer, take pictures, make calls and describe what you're looking at.
How to pair Meta AI glasses with your phone
Meta's pairing article gives these steps:
- Take the glasses out of their case and slide the power button on the left frame towards the front.
- Put them back in the case, pressing the top down so the bottom of the nose bridge touches the charging port inside.
- Wait for the LED on the case to flash blue. If pairing mode doesn't start by itself, hold the button on the back of the case for 5 seconds or more.
- Open the Meta AI app on your phone and tap the Glasses icon in the top right.
- Tap Add in the top right and follow the on-screen prompts.
Meta says AI glasses can only pair with one Meta account at a time. If yours are linked to another account, you'll need to factory reset them first. If pairing fails, Meta's help centre has a separate guide for fixing pairing issues.
How to wake and talk to Meta AI on your glasses
Meta says you can activate Meta AI by saying Hey Meta, or by tapping and holding the touchpad on your glasses. After that, you just ask.
What you can ask Meta AI to do
| What you want | What Meta says to ask |
|---|---|
| Take a photo or video | Take a picture, Take a video, then Stop recording |
| Call or message | Ask to call or message a contact, including on Messenger, WhatsApp or Instagram |
| Control music and volume | Pause, Next, Play, Volume up, Volume down |
| Check the battery | Ask how much battery is left |
| Share a photo | Ask to send your last picture to a contact or your phone |
| Understand your surroundings | Ask it to describe what you're seeing, translate text, work out what a plant needs or scan a QR code |
For weather and other location-based answers, Meta says to turn on location services in your phone settings and set location access for the Meta AI app to always allow.
Telling people when you record with Meta AI glasses
This is the part I want you to take seriously. Because the glasses look like ordinary eyewear, the people around you may have no idea they have a camera. Wikipedia notes that the glasses have a small white LED that lights when recording, and that critics have raised concerns about covert recording of bystanders.
So here's my rule: tell people when you record. Say it out loud, take them off in private spaces such as changing rooms and toilets, and ask permission before you film a client, a colleague or a child. Rules vary by place and by workplace, so check your local rules and any venue's policy, and treat that as general guidance rather than legal advice.
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Your data and privacy settings on Meta AI glasses
Meta's privacy article explains that some data is used to keep your devices working, while sharing additional data about how you use the devices is optional. You can change that choice in the Meta AI app:
- Tap Glasses in the top right.
- Tap Device settings, choosing your device first if you have several.
- Under Glasses, tap your glasses.
- Scroll down and tap Glasses privacy.
Meta says that choice doesn't include the photos and videos captured by your glasses. Meta's help page also says interactions with Meta AI are used to improve AI at Meta, so read the linked privacy information before you ask anything sensitive.
Where Meta AI glasses are available
Meta publishes a supported countries list. It includes the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, Australia and the contiguous United States, among others. Check Meta's AI glasses supported countries article for the full list, because features can differ by country.
Using Meta AI glasses in a small business
- Capture a quick video of a finished job, an event set-up or a product, hands-free, and ask permission if anyone else is in the shot.
- Message a supplier or colleague by voice while carrying stock.
- Translate a menu, label or sign when you're meeting people abroad.
- Ask it to describe or read something when you're short on time.
- Use the photo capture for quick site notes, then tidy them up on your phone.
Smart glasses are a gadget on top of your tools, not a replacement for them. My guide to the best AI tools for small business owners covers the assistants I'd build a routine around, and if you'd like help choosing and setting them up, that's what I do as an AI consultant.
If your Meta AI glasses aren't responding
- Check the glasses are charged and out of the case.
- Open the Meta AI app and make sure they're connected.
- Look at Meta's troubleshooting articles for the Meta AI app, microphones and charging.
- Update the glasses through the app if an update is waiting.
- Use Meta's factory reset guide as a last step.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn on Meta AI on my glasses?
Meta says to say Hey Meta, or tap and hold the touchpad on your glasses.
How do I connect Meta AI glasses to my phone?
Install the Meta AI app, put the glasses in their case until the case LED flashes blue, tap the Glasses icon in the app, tap Add and follow the prompts.
Can I use Meta AI glasses with two accounts?
Meta says AI glasses can only pair with one Meta account at a time. A factory reset is needed to link them to a different account.
Do Meta AI glasses show when they're recording?
Wikipedia says they have a small white LED that lights when recording. Whatever the light does, tell people around you when you record.
Where can I use Meta AI glasses?
Meta lists supported countries including the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, Australia and the contiguous United States. Check Meta's article for the full list.
