Key Meta Ray-Ban feature is going behind the subscription paywall when AirPods offers it for free
The Conversation Focus mode, which helps users hear chats in loud environments is now metered
Meta is putting certain smart glasses features behind a subscription paywall, because of course it is. Existing owners of devices like the Meta Ray-Bans will now need to pay up to enjoy unmetered use of key functionality.
Wearers will now need the Meta One Premium Plan if they want full access to some of the AI-based features of its camera and microphone-laden smart glasses, despite those folks paying around $300 or more to get the glasses in the first place.
In its help pages, Meta explains that one such feature is the “conversation focus” which uses the microphones within the glasses to make it easier to hear conversations you’re having in real life.
That’s akin to feature that Apple offers AirPods users for free thanks to its Hearing Aid mode. It works by amplifying sounds, adjusting the sound profile to be brighter for sharper speech clarity, getting rid of ambient noise, and focusing the microphones on the voices of the people speaking directly to you. Meta reckons more than three hours a month of its version of the feature is worth paying for.
“Conversation focus is currently available for free for 3 hours per month, or for 15 hours per month for Meta One Premium subscribers,” the company writes. “If you reach your paid subscription usage limit, it will refresh at the start of the next billing cycle.”
The trouble is, the Meta One Premium Plan currently costs $20 a month. For that you get access to Facebook/WhatsApp/Instagram Plus and more AI usage across the platform. That includes higher levels of image generation and a Thinking AI mode for more complex plans.
What else to Meta AI glasses owners get? Premium Device Support where humans can help you with glasses features in the event of issues.
A Meta spokesperson told Wired: “The subscription supports that ongoing work and gives power users expanded access along with premium device support. “We’re going to start testing new optional subscription plans that offer more premium features and advanced capabilities for those who want to unlock more from our apps and AI glasses.”
Chris Smith
