Newsroom

Beta Launch: Meta Ray-Bans Integration!

hannah.griffin@aira.ioby Hannah Griffin•Posted September 18, 2024
White background and a pair of black Meta Ray-Bans. Text reads "Explorer News: Beta Launch: Meta Ray-Bans Integration!". Aira logo at bottom left and teal decorative triangle at bottom right.

At Aira, we’ve had a long history of innovation with wearable glasses, and are continuing to explore new solutions that can support hands-free visual interpreting. Today, we are thrilled to announce the beta launch of our Meta Ray-Bans integration! This post provides everything you need to know about the beta launch, our current workaround with Meta Ray-Bans, and how you can advocate for a smoother, more seamless integration.

Want a video overview of all updates? You can watch the recording of our Town Hall event here where we discussed the Meta Ray-Bans integration in detail. 

Meta Ray-Bans Beta Launch: What You Need to Know

After extensive testing and development, we’re excited to offer Explorers the chance to experience the Meta Ray-Bans integration in its beta form. While it’s still a work in progress, we believe it’s ready for real-world feedback from our community.

How the beta launch will work: 

  • We’ll begin a slow, controlled roll-out as Aira trains more Visual Interpreters to handle Meta Ray-Bans calls.
  • Explorers who signed up for the pilot program, which was for initial interest in testing over summer, will be the first selected to test the beta.
  • Want to join the program? If you have a pair of Meta Ray-Bans, sign up via the Aira app. Simply go to the “More” tab, tap “Smart Glasses,” select “Meta Ray-Bans,” and fill out the form. You can also click this link to open the form in-app
  • Once you’re on the list, the Aira Customer Care team will sequentially reach out to selected users with next steps.

Don’t have the Aira app yet? Download Aira for Google Play here. Download Aira for iOS here. 

Current Integration: How It Works Today

At present, Aira does not have a direct connection to Meta Ray-Bans. To enable visual interpreting, we use the following workaround for Explorers in the beta:

  1. The Explorer selects Meta Ray-Bans in the new customize call option before the call
  2. Once on the call, the Visual Interpreter will auto-launch a WhatsApp call and the Explorer clicks the join button
  3. The Visual Interpreter views the surroundings through the glasses
  4. To end the session, the Explorer simply closes the WhatsApp call

Note: Due to the workaround, GPS functionality is not yet available for navigation. We’re working hard to develop solutions for these limitations.

How You Can Help: Advocate for Direct Integration with Meta

One of the key takeaways from the Town Hall was that a direct integration with Meta Ray-Bans requires more attention and collaboration from Meta itself. We believe the voices of our Explorers can make a significant impact.

Here’s how you can advocate for a smoother integration:

1. Send an email to Meta: Access an email template here. Feel free to personalize it as you like, and include your name and contact at the bottom. Then, send it to Meta using this page on their website.

or

2. Reach out to Care: If you’d prefer, you can forward your email to Aira’s Customer Care team at support@aira.io, and we’ll send it on your behalf.

Explorer Town Hall on Meta Ray-Bans

On September 17th, we hosted a Town Hall to discuss the Meta Ray-Bans integration. We shared important updates, challenges, and outlined how our community of Explorers can help move this initiative forward.

Missed it? You can watch the embedded recording below, or watch it on YouTube here.