After backlash, Meta pauses plan to ‘rate limit’ its smart glasses
Meta has paused its plan to charge a subscription fee for the 'Conversation Focus' feature on its smart glasses following user backlash. The company maintains that some premium features will eventually be subscription-based but is re-evaluating its approach to rate-limiting local features.
Why it matters
It illustrates the tension between hardware companies seeking recurring revenue and consumer expectations regarding on-device features.
Remember when Meta was planning to charge a $20 monthly subscription fee for the smart glasses feature that lets people hear each other more clearly — even though that feature runs locally on your glasses and doesn’t require the cloud? Meta has paused those plans, spokesperson Tyler Yee confirms to The Verge.
The company is not giving up on the idea of a subscription fee for certain features — that’s still moving forward. Yee confirms that “some premium features will be subscription-based over time.”
But Conversation Focus, the accessibility feature, “will remain available for free through our Early Access Program for early testers while we work on a better approach.”
Here’s one of the company’s statements to The Verge:
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in