Nicely, they’re again – or a minimum of, Meta’s introduced some new parts for Ray Ban Tales, which don’t take it into AR territory simply but. However they could possibly be related for some customers.

First off, Meta’s added new voice instructions throughout the system, which can allow you to answer to incoming WhatsApp, Messenger, and textual content messages simply by talking.

As per Meta:

“As soon as your message is learn out, say ‘Hey Fb, reply’, and also you’re off to the races, whereas you may as well now tee up a brand new WhatsApp, Messenger, or textual content message with a single voice command. For instance, you can say, ‘Hey Fb, ship Jasmine a message on WhatsApp: can’t watch for spring break,’ and your glasses will affirm the message earlier than sending.”

That is one in every of a number of new voice controls you could activate when carrying your Meta glasses – which could look a bit of bizarre to passers-by, however could possibly be helpful for replying on the go.

Meta’s additionally trying to make its voice instructions extra conversational and responsive, with extra natural-sounding engagement.

“As an alternative of claiming, ‘Ship a message’, quickly you’ll be capable of additionally say issues like, ‘Ask Martha if she desires to come back to the get together’, or ‘Inform David I really like him’, and the glasses will be capable of infer that you just’re making an attempt to ship a message. They’ll even know whether or not they need to punctuate your outgoing message with a interval or query mark primarily based on context cues.”

Once more, could possibly be bizarre for folks in your rapid neighborhood, but it surely’s one other approach to assist enhance the utility of the system, which could possibly be helpful in some conditions.

Meta’s additionally integrating Spotify controls for Android (which is already out there on iOS), enabling you to cue up music when carrying the system, whereas it’s additionally rolling out Meta accounts to Ray-Ban Tales, which can imply you could log into their sensible glasses with out utilizing a Fb account.

So, cool, proper? Some new tweaks for Ray Ban Tales, which can present further, purposeful worth in some methods.

However they’re not main updates – they’re not Meta’s long-awaited AR glasses, that are reportedly nonetheless in improvement.

There have been reviews, at one stage, that Meta had shelved its AR glasses challenge as a part of its broader cost-cutting push, however extra not too long ago, Meta has indicated that the following stage for the system shall be coming within the subsequent few years, which will even tie into its metaverse imaginative and prescient.

In line with Meta’s product roadmap, the following massive replace for its Ray Ban Tales glasses, at present set for launch in 2025, will embrace a ‘viewfinder’ component, which can allow you to learn incoming textual content messages inside your subject of view, whereas they’ll additionally embrace QR code scanning capability, together with hand controls to navigate the show.

A full AR model is then slated for launch in 2027, which would be the subsequent massive leap for Meta’s wearable initiatives, and can carry digital experiences into direct integration together with your on a regular basis life.

Although as famous, that plan could possibly be impacted by Meta’s effectivity push, which can see it lower over 20,000 employees in complete. However even inside this, Meta’s nonetheless spending massive on its next-level developments, and given its alignment with the metaverse, it does appear to be the following stage of its sensible glasses will stay a precedence.

However we’re not there but. These are a lot smaller tweaks, that are unlikely to immediate a sudden rush on Ray Ban Tales gross sales, however they’re steps which are needed within the regular improvement of the system.

They usually look cool, which in itself is a significant win for the challenge.