Owners of Meta’s AI-powered glasses have been told they must pay a monthly fee to keep using a feature that was previously free – a move that has drawn anger from some users who say it feels unfair.
The feature, called Conversation Focus, uses the microphones built into the glasses to amplify the voice of the person you are talking to, making it easier to hold face-to-face conversations while still using the device’s functions such as reading notifications aloud. From now on, users will get just three hours of free access each calendar month. After that, they will have to subscribe to Meta One Premium at $19.99 a month to continue using it – or wait until the free hours refresh. Meta One subscriptions offer up to 15 hours of Conversation Focus per month, but they are not available in the UK, where the feature itself has not yet been launched.
“Meta glasses owners must pay $19.99/month for Conversation Focus feature after three free hours.”
Meta said the change was part of its experiments with offering subscriptions for some features while keeping core services free. A spokesperson told the BBC on Thursday that users would still have access to other built-in AI features, such as live translation and its voice assistant, without needing a subscription. A help page on Meta’s site states: “All AI glasses owners get free monthly usage for certain features.”
The company’s plans to test “premium” subscription experiments across Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp were first revealed in January. Later, Meta confirmed those tests would include paid access to expanded AI features, including those on its smart glasses.
Conversation Focus was first announced by Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg at a product showcase last September, where it was hailed by some as an accessibility boost. Meta has championed those benefits, though it warns the feature should not be used as a hearing aid or medical device.
The decision to put the feature behind a paywall has provoked a backlash among some users. One Meta Ray-Ban owner wrote directly to the product lead, David Woodland, saying: “Putting Conversation Focus behind a paywall feels wrong. I would gladly subscribe to Meta One, but only if it genuinely offers unlimited access.”
Meta’s spokesperson downplayed the impact, telling the BBC the majority of glasses users would not be affected because the limit is aimed at “power users who want expanded access”. The spokesperson added that the subscription includes “additional benefits like premium device support”.
For now, UK owners of Meta’s glasses have not been affected because Conversation Focus is not yet available in the country. But with the subscription model already in place and the feature expected to roll out globally, questions remain over whether British users will eventually face the same charge – and whether the free three-hour limit will apply here too.