Meta now requires a paid subscription to access certain features on its smart glasses.
The company updated its support pages to state that users need the Meta One Premium Plan for expanded functionality on Ray-Ban, Oakley, and Meta-branded versions. Basic use remains free, but specific tools are restricted without payment.
Conversation Focus, a tool that boosts audio in noisy settings, allows three hours of use per month for free. Paid subscribers can extend this to 15 hours. The subscription also includes Premium Device Support, offering faster access to human experts for troubleshooting.
A spokesperson explained that the fee supports ongoing development and provides expanded access for power users. Meta plans to test additional optional plans offering more advanced capabilities for its apps and AI glasses.
As more features arrive, similar restrictions will likely follow. Meta claims the vast majority of users will not hit the monthly limit, citing data from its early access program. The company says it will adjust usage rates based on feedback.
Chris Harrison, director of the Future Interfaces Group at Carnegie Mellon University, believes the subscription is not about recovering AI costs. He noted that improving token generation efficiency has been significant over the last 18 months.
“It’s not about recovering AI costs; it’s about monetizing customers,” Harrison says.
He describes this as extracting value from the platform as adoption grows. The glasses are typically sold at cost, such as the $299 Meta-branded model that removes the Ray-Ban name. This strategy helps distribute the hardware and expand the user base, while the subscription service generates revenue.
The risk is that a competitor could offer similar features without a monthly fee. Google is set to launch its own smart glasses later this year, made with Samsung and eyewear brands Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Details on pricing or subscription tiers are not yet known.
Harrison suggests Google may be better positioned to absorb costs given recent efficiency gains in its AI models.
Google’s Pixel phones require a specific Google One tier for features like Video Boost, which improves lighting and stabilization by sending footage to the cloud. The Gemini chatbot is free, but advanced features like Gemini Spark require a subscription. The Google Home Speaker needs a Premium plan for the conversational Gemini Live experience.
“All of these will have to deliver value, or people will pick the free version,” Harrison says.
Meta likely believes these features offer meaningful utility. For individuals with hearing impairments, Conversation Focus could significantly improve quality of life.
“Is that worth $10 a month? Probably,” he says.
What it means
Users should expect more features to become paywalled as the hardware matures. The industry is shifting from selling hardware at a loss to monetising the software layer. Consumers must decide if specific tools justify a recurring fee or if they will switch to a competitor offering similar capabilities for free.
