Meta launches audio-only Ray-Ban glasses
They were labelled 'pervert glasses'. Will a camera-free version transform their image?
Thursday, 24 September 2026
Warm-up
- What wearable tech have you tried, and how did it feel?
- Where do you think cameras should not be allowed?
- What makes a gadget feel safe to use in public?
Vocabulary
- backlash
- a strong negative public reaction to something that has happened
- consent
- permission from someone to let something happen
- ban
- an official rule stopping people from using or doing something
- awareness
- people’s knowledge that something exists or is happening
- Bluetooth
- short-range wireless technology that connects devices
- voice-activated
- working when you speak a command to it
- notorious
- well known for a bad reason
- harass
- to repeatedly bother or intimidate someone
Reading
Meta is launching Ray-Ban Meta Audio, a camera-free version of its smart glasses. The move follows a backlash against earlier camera models, which were linked to people filming others without consent and sharing clips. Some UK venues, including JD Wetherspoon pubs, major theatres, Comic-Con, certain schools and Faslane naval base, have a ban in place. The glasses were first released in 2023 with Ray-Ban and became notorious among critics.
Meta denies rushing the change, saying the audio model had been in development for two years. It keeps the audio functions—phone calls and music—with sound funnelled towards the ear, and it is lighter and cheaper with better battery life. The glasses connect by Bluetooth to Meta’s AI app and are voice-activated.
Mark Zuckerberg has predicted smart glasses could replace phones. Supporters say audio-only use aids navigation and safety, although public awareness may be low. However, using them means sharing location data with Meta, which worries some users after reports of people using camera models to harass others.
Comprehension
- What new product version is Meta launching?
- Why did earlier smart glasses face a backlash?
- Which UK places have bans on the glasses?
- What features does the audio-only model keep?
- What does Meta say about the product’s timeline?
Grammar focus
Past perfect continuous
Use had been + verb-ing to show an action that started before another past event and was still continuing then. (Examples constructed.)
- Meta had been developing the audio model for two years.
- Supporters had been expressing concern about camera models for months.
Grammar exercise
Complete each sentence using the past perfect continuous (had been + verb-ing).
- By then, engineers (work) ___ on battery life for weeks.
- By then, venues (experience) ___ complaints for months.
- Until last year, critics (complain) ___ for months.
- Volunteers (explain) ___ how audio aids navigation for weeks.
- Supporters (argue) ___ the benefits of audio-only glasses for weeks.
Discussion
- Would you try audio-only glasses? Why or why not?
- Where should wearables with cameras be banned, if anywhere?
- Do hands-free audio benefits outweigh data-sharing risks?
- How could firms raise awareness without making people anxious?
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