• by Colin Kirkland , August 25, 2023

Meta's upcoming smart glasses release with Ray Ban may be devoted to live-streaming capabilities. According to a new report by media newsletter Lowpass, the next-generation Stories glasses will allow users to live-stream to Facebook and Instagram and “directly communicate with their audience” via audio over built-in headphones.

This would be a major upgrade for Meta's Ray Ban Stories glasses and creators, as the current generation does not support live-streaming or direct communication with fans.

Built-in headphones will allow creators to more seamlessly interact with comments and monetize from user donations from a singular device.

The new glasses also reportedly increase audio playback volume when a creator's surroundings become too noisy via an ambient noise-level monitor.

In addition, the glasses will supposedly keep users from taking what Lowpass’s Janko Roettgers calls “creep shots,” or pictures and videos taken by the Ray Ban smart glasses of bystanders without their knowledge.

While the current generation has an LED light that is intended to alert strangers when the glasses are recording, European regulators have expressed worries that the light isn’t bright enough or can be easily covered by tape and paint by users.

According to the report, the next-generation glasses will not take photos or videos when the LED has been tampered with. Still, due to the glasses’ sleek design, it may be difficult to tell when creators are recording and live-streaming with the new release.

Roettgers says the internal documents from Meta he referenced did not hint at a release date for the glasses, but he expects that Meta will provide some updates on the device at its Connect conference in September.