Meta smart glasses now require a subscription for unlimited access to all features

Imagine buying Meta's smart glasses for a fixed price, but then having to pay a monthly price for unlimited access to all of their features? Well, you don't have to imagine anymore.

In a help article on its website (via The Verge), Meta quietly announced the Meta One subscription as a requirement to unlock "expanded access to features like Conversation focus," and to provide access to premium support for the glasses.

In the article, Meta insists that the subscription isn't required to use the glasses or access any of its features. But the key is in the free monthly usage limit; for Conversation focus, the limit is 3 hours per month, whereas Meta One Premium subscribers get 15 hours of access. Additionally, unused hours don't roll over to the next billing cycle, so saving some hours one month won't get you more hours next month.

This pertains to all of Meta's AI glasses, including those branded by Meta itself, or the ones co-branded with Oakley and Ray-Ban.

Conversation focus is an AI-enabled feature that amplifies voices of people you're facing, making communication easier in noisy places.

While Meta's limits on the feature (3 hours for free, 15 hours for subscribers) sound like AI rate limiting, a Meta spokesperson told Wired that it is not, as the Conversation focus feature runs entirely on the glasses themselves.

It's easy to find an analog to what Meta has done here. Apple's AirPods Pro, for example, have a feature called Conversation Boost, which amplifies the voice of the person talking in front of you. The feature is available for free.

While Meta has bundled the feature unlock with premium support, it's still quite obvious which way the company is heading. A Meta spokesperson told Wired that the company will "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.”