4 Guides to Independence

After this lesson: your glasses are charged, fitted, and you know where the controls are.

• Open the box. Inside you'll find: glasses, charging case, quick start guide, lens instructions, and a cleaning cloth. Note: a USB-C cable is not included — you need your own
• 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. Wait for the LED to turn solid green (about 1 hour)
• To take the glasses out, grip them at the hinge (where the arm meets the frame) — avoids fingerprints
• Try the glasses on. Adjust the nose pads until they sit comfortably
• Find the touchpad on the right temple — don't press it yet
• Find the capture button on the top of the right temple — we'll use it later
• Notice the small white LED on the outside of the frame — it lights up when the camera is active
• The notification LED on the right side changes color: green = charged, blue blinking = pairing mode, white = recording

Done

After this lesson: your glasses are connected to your phone and playing audio.

• Install the Meta AI app from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android)
• Open the app, sign in with a Meta account, and follow the pairing wizard
• Make sure the LED blinks blue — that means pairing mode. If not, hold the button on the back of the case for 5 seconds
• Android users: enable Location in Settings → Location (required for Bluetooth pairing)
• When prompted, let the firmware update complete — this takes 5–10 minutes. Keep the glasses in the case
• Test: play a song on your phone. You should hear it through the glasses, not the phone speaker
• If there's no sound from the glasses: check Bluetooth settings and reconnect

Done

After this lesson: you can ask the AI to describe your surroundings and read text.

• Put the glasses on and face a room with objects in it
• Say: "Hey Meta, what do you see?" and listen to the description
• Try it 5 times in different locations: kitchen, living room, outside, at a table, in a shop
• Also try: "Hey Meta, read this" with a book, package, or letter
• Tip: turn your head toward what you want described — the camera is in the glasses

Done

After this lesson: your phone reads notifications aloud through the glasses and responds to voice.

Done

After this lesson: you can control music, volume, and activate the AI by touch.

• Play some music first (ask someone to start Spotify, or say "Hey Meta, play some music")
• Single tap = play / pause. Try it 5 times
• Double tap = skip to the next song. Try it 3 times
• Swipe forward (front to back) = volume up. Swipe back (back to front) = volume down
• Tap and hold = activates Meta AI (same as saying "Hey Meta"). Try it once

Done

After this lesson: you've made your first call through the glasses and installed the essential apps.

• Say: "Hey Meta, call [name]" — call a friend or family member. Have a short conversation
• After the call, install the 7 essential apps listed on the Apps page
• Open Be My Eyes, create an account, and make a test call to a volunteer
• The volunteer will see through your glasses camera and can help describe anything

Done

No new skills today — take a break. Think about what was easiest, what was hardest, and what surprised you. Write down anything confusing — you'll build on these skills in Guide 2.

Done

After this lesson: you can have a conversation with Meta AI about what's around you.

• Practice indoors: say "Hey Meta, what's in front of me?" and listen
• Try it in different rooms with different lighting — bright rooms give better descriptions
• Ask follow-up questions: "Are there any people?" or "What's on the table?"
• Try looking out a window: "Hey Meta, what do you see outside?"
• Goal: get comfortable starting a conversation with Meta AI

Done

After this lesson: you can ask the AI to read menus, labels, letters, and packages.

• Find a menu, letter, or medicine label
• Say: "Hey Meta, read this" — hold still and face the text
• Try with a food package: "Hey Meta, what are the ingredients?"
• Try with a letter or bill: "Hey Meta, what does this say?"
• Works best at arm's length, with good lighting and clear print

Done

After this lesson: you can identify products, brands, and everyday objects by voice.

• Say: "Hey Meta, what is this?" while holding an object in front of you
• Try with: a product, a piece of fruit, a household item, a tool
• Try: "Hey Meta, what brand is this?" with a product
• Try: "Hey Meta, is this shampoo or conditioner?" — useful for similar-looking bottles
• Turn your head so the camera faces the object directly

Done

After this lesson: you can ask for the color of clothing, food, and household items.

• Say: "Hey Meta, what color is this shirt?"
• Practice with: clothing, food items, household objects
• Try combining: "Hey Meta, describe what I'm wearing."
• Useful for: matching clothes, identifying ripe fruit, sorting laundry
• Good lighting matters — natural daylight gives the most accurate colors

Done

After this lesson: you can hold multi-turn conversations with the AI to get detailed answers.

• Start broad: "Hey Meta, what do you see?"
• Then narrow down: "Is there a price tag?" → "How much?"
• Or: "What do you see?" → "Is there a door?" → "Which side?"
• Practice 3 multi-turn conversations in different settings
• Meta AI remembers context within a conversation, so follow-ups work naturally

Done

After this lesson: you can use the AI camera at intersections, shops, and bus stops.

• Go for a walk (with a helper if needed)
• At an intersection: "Hey Meta, describe what's around me."
• At a shop: "Hey Meta, read that sign."
• At a bus stop: "Hey Meta, what building is that?"
• Outdoor AI works well but is less accurate in rain or fog

Done

No new skills today — take a break. What are your favorite commands so far? What doesn't work well? Write down your top 5 most useful commands.

Done

After this lesson: you can ask your phone assistant for time, weather, timers, and reminders through the glasses.

Done

After this lesson: you can get walking directions read aloud through the glasses.

• Walk a familiar route first (home → shop, home → bus stop) so you can verify the directions
• Voice turn-by-turn directions play through the glasses speakers
• Tip: keep your phone in a breast pocket for better mic reception

Done

After this lesson: you can send and listen to messages hands-free.

• Say: "Hey Meta, send a message to [name] on WhatsApp" — dictate your message

• Try: "Hey Meta, read my messages" to hear recent messages
• Practice: send a test message, then ask to read it back

Done

After this lesson: you have voice shortcuts for your morning briefing, getting home, and safety.

Done

After this lesson: you can play, skip, and control music entirely by voice and touch.

• Say: "Hey Meta, play [song/artist/playlist]" — this triggers Spotify Tap
• Try: "Hey Meta, play some jazz" or "Hey Meta, play my Discover Weekly."
• Use the touchpad: tap = pause, double-tap = skip, swipe = volume
• Say "Hey Meta, next" to skip to the next track

Done

After this lesson: you can control lights and thermostat by voice.

Only relevant if you have smart devices (lights, thermostat, plugs). Skip this lesson if you don't.

Done

After this lesson: you know which wake word to use for any task.

Practice the "two wake word" habit. Each one controls different things:

• "Hey Meta" for: seeing, reading, identifying, WhatsApp, music, photos

Exercise: complete 5 tasks using the correct wake word for each. Goal: switching feels natural, not confusing.

Done

After this lesson: you can call a volunteer or AI to help with complex visual tasks.

• Open Be My Eyes and tap "Call a volunteer"
• A sighted volunteer will see through your glasses camera and describe what you need
• Try asking them to: read your mail, help find something in the fridge, identify a product
• Also try "Be My AI" — AI-powered help without a human volunteer
• When to use Be My Eyes vs. Meta AI: Be My Eyes for complex scenes, Meta AI for quick questions

Done

After this lesson: you can use Envision AI to read text, describe scenes, and find objects.

• Open Envision AI — it does OCR, scene description, and object finding
• Point the phone camera at a document or letter and let it read the full text aloud
• Try scene description: point the camera at a room and tap "Describe"
• Compare with "Hey Meta, read this": Envision is better for long documents; Meta AI is faster for quick reads
• Envision uses the phone camera, not the glasses

Done

After this lesson: you can use Ally as your accessible AI assistant.

• Open Ally (by Envision) — an accessible AI assistant with voice chat
• Try asking it a question by voice — it responds conversationally
• Take a photo and ask Ally to describe it in detail
• Try a web search: ask Ally to look something up for you
• Ally is designed for accessibility from the ground up — explore its features

Done

After this lesson: you can scan and read documents with ScribeMe.

• Open ScribeMe — an AI scanner, live visual assistant, and document reader
• Point the phone camera at a document, letter, or book page
• Let it scan and read the text aloud
• Try the live visual assistant: point the camera at an object and ask what it is
• Compare with Meta AI and Envision: each app has different strengths — try all three to find your favorite

Done

After this lesson: you've used every skill together in a real day.

Put it all together in a real day:

• Go out: "Navigate to [shop]" with your map app. Use Envision AI to read signs along the way
• In the shop: "Hey Meta, what is this?" for products. "Hey Meta, read this" for labels
• Pay: use phone contactless payment, or ask "Hey Meta, read this" for price tags
• Home: "Hey Meta, what do you see?" to check if lights are on

Done

After this lesson: you know how to fix the most common problems yourself.

Common issues and quick fixes:

• Meta AI doesn't respond → check internet + Bluetooth, restart glasses (hold power 5 sec)
• No sound through glasses → check Bluetooth pairing, re-pair if needed

• Bad AI descriptions → improve lighting, turn head toward target, try English
• Battery dies fast → charge during meals, keep case charged

More help: Help page.

Done

You made it! Think about what you can do now that you couldn't when you started. Set 3 personal goals for the next month. Bookmark the Daily Use page for quick command reference. And tell someone about what the glasses can do — you're the expert now.

Done