What You Need to Know

In an exciting development for tech enthusiasts and music lovers alike, the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are now receiving a significant update that introduces Spotify functionality, alongside Apple Music and Shazam, expanding the capabilities of these innovative eyewear products.

This update, identified as version 14.1, enhances the glasses with more natural, lifelike voice interactions and broadens its real-world insights services to users in the U.K. The update was initially reported by Nicholas Sutrich from Android Central on April 17, and promises to enrich the user experience for smart glasses owners.

Earlier this year, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced a remarkable milestone, revealing that their Ray-Ban smart glasses have surpassed 2 million units sold. As part of a strategic plan, they aim to ramp up production significantly, targeting an ambitious 10 million units by the year 2026.

Meta's new update brings a suite of features designed to enhance usability and interactivity. One of the standout additions is the ability to play music and shuffle tracks by artists, albums, or playlists directly from Spotify. With the new voice commands, users can now simply say, Hey Meta, shuffle my (X) playlist, or repeat this song, making music selection seamless and hands-free.

The Spotify integration is currently available for English-speaking users across several countries, including the U.K., Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Norway. This rollout also sees the inclusion of connected apps such as Apple Music and Shazam, enhancing the platforms versatility.

In addition to musical enhancements, the Meta AI built into the smart glasses has been upgraded to give users real-time information on a variety of topics like weather conditions, air quality, and UV indexall accessible via voice commands. The latest patch includes several AI improvements, which can be explored in detail in the Meta AI settings on the device.

Key Features of the Update:

  • Updated Voices: Meta AI Voices have been refined to sound more natural, providing a more engaging user experience. Users can select their preferred voice from the Meta AI Settings menu.
  • Expansion to the U.K.: Users can now receive historical information about landmarks while exploring or get tailored recipe suggestions based on ingredients available at home.

Earlier updates had already set a high bar for the Ray-Ban smart glasses, particularly with the futuristic AI features released just before the holiday season in December. These include functionalities like Live Record and Live Translate, which allow glasses wearers to capture and gain insights about their surroundings without needing to vocalize commands. The Live Translate feature can translate spoken language in real-time, relaying the information through the glasses' speaker or connected devices.

Since their launch in 2023, the popularity of the Ray-Ban smart glasses has skyrocketed, leading to the impressive sales figure of 2 million units. In reaction to this success, EssilorLuxottica, the parent company of Ray-Ban, has expressed intentions to significantly increase mass production to meet growing demand. Industry speculation suggests that the next iteration of the smart glasses may even incorporate a built-in display, which would enhance user interaction by allowing access to information without having to reach for a smartphone or solely rely on audio feedback.

With these updates and future enhancements on the horizon, the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are poised to solidify their position as a leading player in the wearable tech market.