Ray-Ban Meta

Ray-Ban Meta is a range of smartglasses created by Meta Platforms and EssilorLuxottica. They include two cameras, open-ear speakers, a microphone, and touchpad built into the frame.They are the latest in a line of smartglasses released by major companies including Snap Inc and Google and are designed as one component of Facebook’s plans for a metaverse.
Unlike other smart glasses, the Ray-Ban Meta glasses do not include any HUD or AR head-mounted display. Meta announced them on September 27, 2023. They use a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 processor, upgrade of the cameras to 12 MP, improved audio, livestreaming to Facebook and Instagram, and Meta AI. On April 23, 2024, Meta announced an update to Meta AI on the smart glasses to enable multimodal input via Computer vision.
They received criticism stemming from mistrust over Facebook’s privacy controls. The small size of the recording indicator light has also led to criticism.
The partnership between EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban's parent company, and Facebook to create the first generation of Ray-Ban Stories was publicly announced on September 20, 2020, by CEO Mark Zuckerberg during the seventh annual Facebook Connect conference. During the keynote video, Zuckerberg described several new Facebook innovations, such as the Oculus Quest 2, a new augmented reality division called Project Aria, and the Ray-Ban Stories themselves.
In the following year after its initial announcement, Zuckerberg and Facebook Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth would hint at a 2021 release date through FPV (first person view) video clips appearing to be taken using a Ray-Ban Stories prototype.
On September 9, 2021, Facebook launched Ray-Ban Stories, which were touted as the company's first product related to its plans for a metaverse.
According to Facebook, the Luxottica team re-engineered the components of the glasses to fit technology such as: a set of micro-speakers, a three-microphone audio array, an optimized Snapdragon processor, a capacitive touchpad, and a battery. As the glasses are very small, their size caused the engineers to miniaturize each component.
Facebook also states that their engineers used a bass-reflex system in developing the microphones to improve audio quality. For the camera system, an extensive image processing pipeline was utilized to produce high quality video.
To find a viable charging solution, Facebook said they explored multiple solutions and created 20 engineering validation tests to ensure the charging worked.
To address privacy concerns of users and those around them, engineers said they created a hardware power switch and a hardwired LED light to indicate when the camera is recording.
Ray-Ban Stories glasses come in three designs; Round, Wayfarer, and Meteor. Each of these designs come in up to six colors with polarized, transitioning, blue-light filtering, and single or progressive prescription lenses. The glasses also come with two cameras – one for pictures and one for video – and connect to the phone with Bluetooth. Photos and videos are automatically stored on the users Facebook account, so an account is necessary for these glasses. The temples of the frames contain speakers and microphones which are used for Facebook Assistant voice control. On the top of the right temple there is a touchpad for touch control to either take a 30-second video by tapping once or take a photo by holding down on the touchpad. Every pair comes with a charging case and USB-C charging cable, which can fully charge the glasses in just over an hour with three hours of battery life. The cameras, microphones, speakers, and touchpad are all connected to a Qualcomm Snapdragon® processor. There is also a corresponding Facebook view app.
Stories are compatible with iOS and Android. They currently work with iOS 13 and Android 8.1 and later and do not have backwards compatibility. They support Bluetooth 5.0. The Ray-Ban Stories connect to Wi-Fi 802.11ac.
To view, manage, and edit content captured on Ray-Ban Stories, Meta released the Facebook View mobile app (later on changed named to Meta View) on August 23, 2021, in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. When using the app, users are prompted to log in with their Facebook account before pairing their Ray-Ban Stories to get access to sharing and management features. Current features on the app include importing, editing, and formatting photos and videos shot on Ray-Ban Stories for sharing on Meta-affiliated products such as Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and other social media sites. The app also shows the Stories’ battery percentage.
These glasses could also help people with vision problems. The AI can describe surroundings, read text out loud, and even provide directions. This technology could make everyday life easier and more independent for visually impaired user.
On October 17, 2023, Meta and Ray-ban released the second generation smart glasses referred to as Meta Smart Glasses. "Meta Stories" refers to the first generation of smart glasses produced by Meta (formerly Facebook), called Ray-Ban Stories, which primarily focused on capturing photos and videos for social media sharing, while "Meta Smart Glasses" refers to the newer version, Ray-Ban Meta, which includes significant upgrades like improved camera quality, longer recording times, and the integration of Meta AI, allowing for more interactive features and voice commands beyond basic photo/video capture.
Key differences:
Meta Stories was primarily designed for capturing quick videos and photos to share on social media, while Meta Smart Glasses offer a wider range of capabilities including hands-free voice commands, real-time translations, and enhanced audio quality for calls and music listening thanks to Meta AI integration.
Meta Smart Glasses has a single 12MP camera compared to the two 5MP Meta Stories cameras (one for pictures and the other for video).
Meta Smart Glasses has 5 microphones compared to the 3 microphones on Meta Stories.
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have been released amid much debate about privacy and ethics. The glasses are designed to look like conventional Ray-Ban sunglasses, so critics fear users will be able to record or photograph those around them without their consent, raising fears about surveillance in public and private spaces. The glasses have a small white LED light that activates to show that they are recording, but whether this notification is visible or effective, especially in low-light situations, has come under scrutiny.
A significant concern surrounding the device's listening capabilities is the risk of eavesdropping. As the glasses have multiple microphones for capturing audio, there are fears that they could inadvertently or intentionally record conversations without the awareness of those nearby. This could lead to privacy violations, particularly in private settings or sensitive environments. While Meta asserts that the glasses activate only upon hearing the “Hey, Facebook” wake phrase, skeptics remain wary of potential unauthorized data collection. The Facebook View app's privacy policy states that users’ voice commands may be sent to Meta's servers unless explicitly opted out, a detail that has fueled broader concerns about transparency and data control.
Another contentious issue is data storage and access. The recording capabilities of the glasses, particularly when coupled with Meta's AI technology, raise questions about how data is stored, who has access to it, and how it is protected from misuse or breaches. Concerns about how long data is retained and whether it could be used for commercial, or surveillance purposes are prominent.
There are ethical reviews and academic studies that criticize and highlight possible misuse of the features. One impactful 2024 study showed that hacked Ray-Ban Meta glasses could engage in real-time recognition, raising anxiety about mass surveillance and profiling. Given such risks, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has asked for tougher action to ensure the glasses comply with Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules.
Despite these concerns, advocates of the glasses highlight potential benefits, such as it offering assistance for visually impaired people, and hands-free communication. Critics, however, believe that these advancements must be accompanied by robust privacy protections and ethical usage guidelines. Meta's official recommendations, which include things like letting people maintain personal boundaries and switching off the device in sensitive environments, are designed to encourage responsible use but may not do much to relieve deeper systemic issues related to surveillance.