Meta rolling out audio upgrades, turn-by-turn navigation for Ray-Ban smart glasses

Meta’s most recent updates for its Ray-Ban smart glasses deliver upgrades to audio playback as well as new turn-by-turn walking navigation.

The most recent system update for Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses is version 129. This update brings two main changes, both to audio playback. Users can now balance audio between the two speakers to best suit their hearing, or set both speakers to mono playback instead of stereo.

Meta explains:

• Mono Audio: Hear the same sound on both sides. If you have hearing anomalies, Mono Audio combines the left and right channels so nothing gets missed on the side you can’t hear. Applies to sounds your glasses make, like Meta AI and notifications. Turn it on in Device settings › Audio › Accessibility.
• Audio Balance: Shift sound toward your left or right ear, one step at a time, until the balance feels right for your hearing. Applies to sounds your glasses make like Meta AI responses. Adjust it in Device settings › Audio › Accessibility.

Beyond that, update version 128 is broadly available after first debuting earlier in September and it brings some key updates including Spatial Audio support, further anti-tampering tweaks to stop the camera from working if the privacy LED has been mesed with, and also new location features.

Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses now feature turn-by-turn walking navigation directions. This pulls your location from your phone and you can also share navigation from your mapping app directly to Meta AI to be used on the glasses.

• Pedestrian Navigation: Turn-by-turn pedestrian navigation is here! Get walking directions to your favorite places nearby. Just say “Hey Meta, navigate to Times Square.” For further away places, we’ll send a notification with driving directions to your phone.
• Share location from phone to glasses: Open your phone’s mapping app and find a location that you’d like to walk to. Tap Share. Select Meta AI from the list of applications. Navigation will start on your connected glasses.

While the new audio changes are still starting to roll out, the navigation upgrades from version 128 are now broadly available as an update in the Meta AI app.

More on Smart Glasses:

• Meta launches audio-only glasses and Gen 3 Ray-Ban with slimmer designs
• As Android XR nears, smart glasses are only getting more popular despite Meta backlash
• Samsung reportedly confirms November launch for first Android XR glasses

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