Setup Guide

Everything you need to go from unopened box to working smart glasses. A helper can do this together with the user.

Not sure if smart glasses are right for you? Read Is This For Me? first.

What You Need

Before you start, make sure you have:

Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses (Gen 2)
Charging case (included in the box)
USB-C cable (not included — bring your own)

iPhone with iOS 14.4 or higher

Android 10+ smartphone with location services enabled

Meta account (create one at meta.com in advance to save time)
Wi-Fi network
About 30 minutes

Hardware Setup

Open the box and you'll find the glasses, a charging case, a quick start guide, lens instructions, and a cleaning cloth.

First-time setup:

Remove the plastic tab from the charging case — it protects the battery during shipping
Turn the glasses on using the switch on the inside of the left temple, near the hinge
Place the glasses in the case and connect a USB-C cable — first charge takes about an hour
To take the glasses out of the case, grip them at the hinge (where the arm meets the frame) — avoids fingerprints on the lenses

Charging:

The LED turns solid green when full
Battery lasts up to 8 hours of active use; the case holds about 6 extra charges (48 hours total)
Check battery anytime: say "Hey Meta, battery"
Some features work without internet (photos, video, basic commands). AI vision and conversations need Wi-Fi or mobile data

Power on / off:

Turn on: flip the switch on the inside of the left temple toward the front of the frame
Turn off: flip the switch back, or place the glasses in the closed case — they sleep automatically
Glasses also sleep when folded and idle for about 15 seconds

Pair with Phone

Pairing takes about 15 minutes, most of which is a firmware update. The glasses can only be linked to one Meta account at a time.

Turn the glasses on and place them in the open case — when the LED blinks blue, they are ready to pair
Install the Meta AI app from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android)
Open it and sign in with a Meta account

Enable Bluetooth on your phone

Enable Bluetooth and Location on your phone (Settings → Location → ON)

Follow the in-app pairing wizard — it finds the glasses automatically
Accept the firmware update when prompted. Keep the glasses in the case during the update (5–10 minutes)
After the update the glasses reconnect on their own

Tip: If the glasses don't appear in the app, hold the button on the back of the charging case for 5 seconds to force pairing mode.

After pairing, explore the product tour in the Meta AI app: Devices → Learn and discover.

iPhone — verify the connection:

Settings → Bluetooth → "Ray-Ban Meta" should say Connected
Music, VoiceOver, and Siri all play through the glasses speakers automatically
Test by playing a song — you should hear it through the glasses, not the phone
If audio comes from the phone, disconnect and reconnect Bluetooth or check the Meta AI app

Android — verify the connection:

Settings → Connected Devices → "Ray-Ban Meta" should say Active
Media audio and phone calls play through the glasses speakers
Test by playing a song — you should hear it through the glasses, not the phone
Grant notification access to the Meta AI app when prompted

Phone Accessibility Settings

These settings let the phone talk to the user through the glasses. Configure them once and they stay on.

VoiceOver turns the screen into a voice interface.

Settings → Accessibility → VoiceOver → ON
Quick toggle: Settings → Accessibility → Accessibility Shortcut → VoiceOver (triple-click side button)
Audio plays through the glasses speakers via Bluetooth

Announce Notifications reads incoming messages aloud through the glasses.

Settings → Accessibility → Siri → Announce Notifications → ON
Enable for: WhatsApp, Phone, Messages, Calendar, Meta AI
Disable for: social media, marketing apps, games

Siri lets you control the phone by voice.

Settings → Siri & Search → Listen for "Hey Siri" → ON
Allow Siri When Locked → ON
Language: English recommended for best AI quality

Spoken Content reads selected text or the entire screen aloud.

Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Speak Selection → ON
Speak Screen → ON (two-finger swipe down to read the full screen)

Quick test: Say "Hey Siri, what time is it?" — you should hear the answer through the glasses.

TalkBack turns the screen into a voice interface.

Settings → Accessibility → TalkBack → ON
Audio plays through the glasses speakers via Bluetooth
Key gestures: swipe right = next item, swipe left = previous, double-tap = activate

Notification reading announces incoming messages through the glasses.

Settings → Accessibility → TalkBack → Settings → Read notifications aloud
Enable for: WhatsApp, Phone, Messages, Meta AI
Disable for: social media, marketing apps

Google Assistant lets you control the phone by voice.

Settings → Google → Google Assistant → "Hey Google" → ON
Allow on lock screen → ON
Language: English recommended for best AI quality

Select to Speak reads text you point the phone camera at.

Settings → Accessibility → Select to Speak → ON
Point the camera at text and tap the play button

Quick test: Say "Hey Google, what time is it?" — you should hear the answer through the glasses.

Cochlear Implant & Hearing Devices

If the user wears a Cochlear implant or similar hearing device, audio from both the phone and the glasses can be routed through it. Setup depends on your device and phone type.

iPhone + Cochlear (or compatible hearing device):

Pair the hearing device to iPhone:
- Settings → Bluetooth → enable Bluetooth
- Put the hearing device in pairing mode (see your device manual)
- Select it from the Bluetooth list
- It will now appear under "My Devices" in Bluetooth settings
Set it as the audio output:
- Once paired, iPhone automatically routes audio through the hearing device for phone calls and notifications
- Music and audio typically route to the most recently connected device (glasses or hearing device — you may need to choose)
- To control which device plays audio: Control Center → Audio Output → select the hearing device or glasses
Ensure Meta AI and glasses audio route correctly:
- Both the glasses and hearing device can be paired to the same phone
- Glasses audio may route to the glasses speakers by default — to send it through the hearing device instead, use the Control Center audio output switcher before speaking to Meta AI
- Some hearing devices have an iOS app that lets you set a default output — check your Cochlear app for this option
Test it:
- Say "Hey Meta, what time is it?" — listen for the response in your hearing device
- Play a song through Spotify — should play through the selected audio device
- Call a friend — should ring through the hearing device

Tip: You now have two audio outputs. Use the Control Center audio switcher to toggle between glasses speakers (for a quick reply) and hearing device (for important conversations).

Android + Cochlear (or compatible hearing device):

Pair the hearing device to Android:
- Settings → Connected Devices → Bluetooth → Turn on Bluetooth
- Put the hearing device in pairing mode (see your device manual)
- Select it from the list of available devices
- Confirm pairing
Set it as the audio output:
- Go to Settings → Accessibility → Hearing aids
- Enable "Hearing aid audio routing" if available (newer Android versions)
- Android will prioritize hearing device audio for phone calls and notifications
- For other audio (music, Meta AI), check if your hearing device has an Android app for audio routing preferences
Ensure Meta AI and glasses audio route correctly:
- The glasses and hearing device can both be paired to the same phone
- Glasses audio goes to the glasses by default — to switch it to the hearing device, go to Settings → Sound → Advanced → Default audio device and select the hearing device, or use the quick settings audio switcher
- Some Cochlear Android apps have a "Route Meta AI audio" option — check your Cochlear app settings
Test it:
- Say "Hey Google, what time is it?" — listen for the response in your hearing device
- Play a song through Spotify — should play through the selected audio device
- Call a friend — should ring through the hearing device

Tip: You can have both the glasses and hearing device active. Use Quick Settings (swipe down twice) to see "Audio output" or "Hearing device" settings and toggle between them.

Install Essential Apps

Install these seven apps before you start training. Each one adds something the glasses alone can't do. See the full apps page for details.

Meta AI — glasses management (required)
Be My Eyes — volunteer + AI vision help
WhatsApp — messaging with Meta AI
Envision AI — OCR, scene description and object finding
Ally — accessible AI assistant by Envision
ScribeMe — AI scanner, live visual assistant and document reader
Spotify — voice-controlled music

Test It

Put the glasses on and say: "Hey Meta, what do you see?"

If Meta AI describes what's in front of you, setup is complete. Move on to Training.

Tip: Keep the glasses in their case near Wi-Fi regularly — firmware updates install automatically.