Meta’s AI glasses can now help you hear conversations better

Meta announced on Tuesday an update to its AI glasses that will allow you to better hear people talking when you’re in a noisy environment. The feature will initially become available on Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta HSTN smartglasses in the U.S. and Canada, the company says. In addition, the glasses are getting another update that lets you use Spotify to play a song that matches what’s in your current view.

For instance, if you’re looking at an album cover, the glasses could play a song by that artist. Or if you’re looking at your Christmas tree with a pile of gifts, you could play holiday music. This addition is more of a gimmick, of course, but it demonstrates how Meta is thinking about connecting what people see with actions they can take in their apps.

The conversation-focus feature, meanwhile, seems more practical. First announced at Meta’s Connect conference earlier this year, the feature uses the AI glasses’ open-ear speakers to amplify the voice of the person you’re talking to. Meta says smartglasses wearers will also be able to adjust the amplification level by swiping the right temple of their glasses, or via the device settings. This will allow them to set the level more precisely to match their current environment, whether that’s a busy restaurant or bar, club, commuter train, or anything else.

How well the feature works, of course, will still need to be tested. However, the idea of using smart accessories as tools to help with hearing isn’t limited to Meta. Apple’s AirPods already offer a Conversation Boost feature designed to help you focus on the person you’re talking to, and the Pro models more recently added support for a clinical-grade Hearing Aid feature as well.

While the conversation-focus feature is limited to the U.S. and Canada, the Spotify feature is offered in English in a larger number of markets, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the U.K., and the U.S.

The software update (v21) will first become available to those who are enrolled in Meta’s Early Access Program, which requires first joining a waitlist and being approved. It will later roll out more broadly.