After backlash, Meta pauses plan to ‘rate limit’ its smart glasses

<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/268640_RayBan_Meta_Gen2_AKrales_0075.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Remember when Meta was planning to <a href="https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/959899/meta-ai-glasses-paywall-rate-limit">charge a $20 monthly subscription fee for the smart glasses feature</a> 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 <em>The Verge</em>.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The company is <em>not</em> 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."</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">But Conversation Focus, the accessibility feature, "will remain available for free through our Early Access Program for early testers while w …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/970970/after-backlash-meta-pauses-plan-to-rate-limit-its-smart-glasses">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>