Meta Backs Off Sloppy Gambit To Nickel-And-Dime AI Glasses Customers

from the bad-choices-at-impossible-scale dept

Last month we reported how Meta had decided to try and sloppily nickel-and-dime its AI glasses customers.

More specifically, the company decided it would be a good idea to introduce new “rate limits” to smart glasses usage, forcing customers to pony up a $20 per month Meta One Premium subscription if they didn’t want their glasses’ “conversation focus” functionality (which amplifies the voice of people you’re speaking to in loud environments) limited to three hours of use per month.

The kicker: the processing for this feature exists entirely on the device and doesn’t utilize any Meta cloud capacity — so customers were being asked to pay more money for no technical reason.

Understandably people didn’t like that and complained, forcing the company to retreat. Sort of. Meta has issued a statement to The Verge saying that they’re pausing their plans for the “conversation focus” surcharge for now:

“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. We heard the feedback so we’re pausing its subscription test for now. Conversation focus will remain available for free through our Early Access Program for early testers while we work on a better approach.“

The phrasing of the statement makes it clear Meta customers can expect further annoying monetization efforts down the line for glasses that already cost between $300 and $800.

Meta is simultaneously battling a branding and privacy problem as people increasingly associate Meta’s AI glasses with the non-consensual recording of women (“perv glasses” and “Ray Ban Meta creep” have become common nomenclature).

To combat this, Meta has announced new content moderation limits for sharing AI glasses’ recorded content to Facebook and Instagram, though Meta’s now-standard incompetence — and the scale of its platforms — likely guarantee ongoing headaches.

Filed Under: ai glasses, conversation focus, meta glasses, perv glasses, ray ban meta creep, rip off

Companies: meta