‘Glasses is the ideal form factor’ — Why Meta is bringing hearing enhancement to its smart glasses

Meta is expanding the capabilities of its Meta Glasses with a new hearing enhancement feature. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved this feature, which transforms a pair of Meta Glasses into a hearing aid for individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss. Using machine learning, the glasses amplify sounds based on the user's unique hearing profile, increasing voices while suppressing background noise.

While Apple's AirPods Pro 2 and Nuance's smart shades already offer similar functionality, Meta believes its design gives the feature an advantage. The glasses sit outside the ear, making them socially acceptable and discreet, unlike traditional hearing aids that signal a hearing impairment. Meta is offering the feature as a free 30-day trial, after which users can pay $149.99 for a one-time payment or include it in a Meta One subscription, and it is also FSA/HSA eligible.

Ravish Mehra, Director of Research Science at Meta, explained that the company started developing this technology over five years ago due to the high cost, discomfort, and stigma associated with traditional hearing aids. The home hearing test, which can be completed in one to two minutes using the Meta AI app and the glasses, creates a personalized hearing profile for each user.

This test was essential for FDA clearance, as it was shown to provide results equivalent to a professional fitting. The glasses' six microphones capture sound from the surrounding environment, and a machine learning model enhances voices and suppresses background noise while running on-device with minimal latency to prevent echoes or distortions.