You can now hear conversations better with Meta’s AI glasses

Meta on Tuesday announced an update to its AI glasses that allow you to better hear people’s conversations when you’re in noisy environments. The company says the feature will first be available on Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses in the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, the glasses receive another update that allows you to use Spotify to play songs that match what’s in your current view.

For example, if you’re looking at an album cover, the glasses can play a song by that artist. Or, if you’re looking at a Christmas tree piled high with presents, consider playing some holiday music. Of course, this addition is something of a gimmick, but it shows how Meta is thinking about connecting what users see with the actions they can take within the app.

Conversation-focused features, on the other hand, seem more practical. First announced at Meta’s Connect conference earlier this year, the feature uses the open-ear speakers of the AI ​​glasses to amplify the voice of the person you’re speaking to. Mehta said smart glasses wearers can also adjust the amplification level by swiping the right temple of the glasses or through the device’s settings. This allows you to more accurately set levels for current environments, such as crowded restaurants and bars, clubs, and commuter trains.

Of course, we still need to test how well this feature works. However, the idea of ​​using smart accessories as hearing aids is not 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 also recently added support for clinical-grade hearing aid features.

While conversation-focused features are limited to the US and Canada, Spotify features are available in English in many markets including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, UK, and US.

The software update (v21) will be available first to users enrolled in Meta’s early access program. This program requires you to first join a waiting list and be approved. It will then be rolled out more broadly.