Meta Pauses Plan to Cap Free AI Glasses Feature at 3 Hours Per Month

Meta has paused a test that capped the Conversation Focus feature on its AI glasses at three free hours per month after user backlash, the company told The Verge. Meta had planned to charge $20 per month for up to 15 hours of use via its Meta One Premium plan, but is now working on a better approach through its Early Access Program.

UPDATE 7/25: Following backlash, Meta has paused a test that caps the conversation focus feature to three free hours per month. "Meta’s AI glasses pack a lot of value for free, and some premium features will be subscription-based over time—and conversation focus is one we want to make sure we get right," Meta tells The Verge https://www.theverge.com/tech/970970/after-backlash-meta-pauses-plan-to-rate-limit-its-smart-glasses . "We heard the feedback, so we’re pausing its subscription test for now." Meta has made conversation focus available through the company's Early Access Program https://www.meta.com/help/ai-glasses/391918083181734/ for early testers while it works "on a better approach." Original Story 7/1: Meta has taken the first step in nudging customers of its AI glasses /smart-glasses/150162/the-best-smart-glasses toward a paid subscription. As The Verge reports https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/959899/meta-ai-glasses-paywall-rate-limit , the company has slapped a 3-hour monthly cap on its Conversation Focus feature. To use it for up to 15 hours requires a $20-per-month Meta One Premium plan. The feature, announced /wearables/160133/meta-launches-smart-glasses-with-in-lens-display-heres-what-they-can-do alongside the Meta Ray-Ban Display /smart-glasses/162778/meta-ray-ban-display in September, uses the on-device speakers to amplify the voice of the person you’re speaking to. Meta began rolling out https://about.fb.com/news/2025/12/updates-to-meta-ai-glasses-conversation-focus-spotify-integration/ Conversational Focus with a software update in December, and you can enable https://www.meta.com/en-gb/help/ai-glasses/1660846264628288/ it via a voice command or in the Meta AI mobile app. Conversational Focus can be especially useful in situations where you’re speaking to someone in a loud environment, such as a busy cafe or a street, or if you have a hearing impairment. According to The Verge, the feature uses on-device tech and can function without an internet connection, making the cap a little surprising. On its Help Center https://www.meta.com/en-gb/help/ai-glasses/1384571770097740/ page, Meta reiterates that its AI glasses don't require a subscription and that the free monthly usage applies only to certain features. For now, the page only mentions “rate limits” for Conversation Focus; we reached out to Meta about limits for other features. For any free feature, the usage limit will be refreshed each calendar month. And if you’ve paid for a subscription, the expanded usage limit will be updated with each billing cycle, Meta adds. The Meta One plan for AI glasses is still being tested https://www.meta.com/en-gb/help/subscriptions/960854640235758/ and is limited to certain regions, including the US and Canada. It adds increased Meta AI limits and also unlocks benefits included with Facebook Plus, Instagram Plus, and WhatsApp Plus /social-media/165198/would-you-pay-to-use-facebook-meta-plus-subscriptions-rolling-out-now subscriptions.