Meta is pushing a new firmware upgrade for its smart glasses, focusing heavily on hands-free utility. The update, version 128, introduces a pair of practical upgrades aimed at reducing how often you need to reach for your phone and improving your listening experience.
Voice-activated turn-by-turn navigation
The headline addition in this release is support for turn-by-turn navigation triggered directly through voice commands. Ray-Ban Meta users can now start navigation on the fly by using commands like “Hey Meta, navigate to Times Square.”
Up until now, navigation on the standard non-display models was a clunky affair. You had to pull out your phone, launch your preferred maps app, start navigation, and stream the audio instructions over Bluetooth to the built-in speakers. So far, voice-activated navigation was only available on Meta’s more premium Ray-Ban Display smart glasses. The latest update brings the same level of convenience to the display-less model, with walking directions now available in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and select international cities.
Spatial audio processing
Alongside the navigation improvements, Meta has added an optional spatial audio toggle to the companion app. The feature uses AI to convert standard stereo audio into a three-dimensional audio environment, giving music playback, podcasts, and navigation prompts more acoustic depth. You can turn it on by navigating to settings, selecting audio, and toggling spatial audio on.
Firmware version 128 also expands language support, adding Mandarin Chinese for voice controls, calling, messaging, media playback, and Meta AI interactions. Additionally, the update improves Meta’s anti-tampering measures to detect and prevent camera modifications.
Meta’s latest update makes its smart glasses a little more useful without a display. Voice-activated navigation removes one of the biggest reasons to pull out your phone, while spatial audio gives the glasses a new way to make everyday listening feel more immersive. These aren’t revolutionary changes, but they push the Ray-Ban Meta glasses closer to being a genuinely hands-free companion rather than just a Bluetooth headset with a camera.
