Ray-Ban Meta not responding to 'Hey Meta': how to fix it

If your Ray-Ban Meta glasses stop answering "Hey Meta," check two things first: whether battery saver is on, because it pauses voice activation, and whether the "Hey Meta" toggle is still on in the Meta AI app. When glasses don't pick up your voice reliably, Meta says the problem is usually a voice setting that's turned off or the set of microphones the glasses are using. Meanwhile, you can still reach Meta AI by tapping and holding the touchpad.

This guide is based on Meta's help center. Meta describes "Hey Meta" the same way for Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta and Meta Glasses, so the steps apply to all three.

First, try the touchpad

Meta says you can start Meta AI either by saying "Hey Meta" or by tapping and holding the touchpad, which sits on the right temple. If Meta AI responds to the touchpad but not to your voice, the assistant itself is working, and the steps below will help you find what's blocking the wake word.

1. Turn off battery saver

Battery saver stretches the battery by pausing high-drain background features, and "Hey Meta" is one of them. While it's on, Meta says to use the touchpad instead.

Battery saver can also switch on by itself. If you've enabled the option to turn it on automatically, it starts whenever the glasses drop to 20% or below while they're not charging, and it switches itself off once you charge them back to 75% or more. To turn it off yourself:

1. Open the Meta AI app and go to Device settings.
2. Tap Battery.
3. Turn Battery saver off.

2. Check the "Hey Meta" settings

Meta's microphone guide lists these steps:

1. In the Meta AI app, tap Glasses in the top right.
2. Tap Device settings. If you have more than one device paired, swipe left or right to select your glasses first.
3. Under Glasses, tap your glasses, then tap Meta AI.
4. Tap "Hey Meta" preferences.
5. Make sure the toggles next to "Hey Meta" and Wake sound are both on.
6. Test it with a command such as "Hey Meta, how much battery is left?"

If the glasses recognize the command, the notification LED inside the frame blinks white, and with Wake sound on you'll also hear a tone. If nothing happens, turn both toggles off, turn them back on and try another command.

3. Switch to a different set of microphones

If the settings are right and voice commands still don't work, Meta offers a setting that switches the glasses to a different set of microphones:

1. In the Meta AI app, go to Device settings for your glasses.
2. Scroll down and tap Help and support.
3. Turn on the toggle next to Microphone troubleshooting.
4. Try another voice command.

Meta lists two other symptoms of the same microphone problem: people can't hear you clearly on calls, and your videos have poor audio. Our guide to microphone and speaker problems covers those.

4. Restart the glasses and check for updates

Meta says a restart might help with any issue, and it won't erase photos or unpair the glasses. Slide the power switch back, wait a few seconds and slide it forward again.

Keep the software current too. The Meta AI app downloads updates for the glasses automatically, and you can check by hand: tap Glasses, then Device settings, choose your glasses, tap Updates and tap Check.

5. Unpair the glasses and pair them again

If switching microphones doesn't help, Meta's next step is to unpair the glasses from the Meta AI app and pair them again. Unpairing doesn't erase any settings, Meta says. In the app, tap Glasses, then Device settings, your glasses, General and Unpair glasses. Then pair again by turning the glasses on, docking them until the case light flashes blue and tapping Add in the app.

6. Factory reset as the last step

A factory reset erases your content and settings, including every photo and video stored on the glasses, so import what you want to keep first. Our factory reset guide walks through it.

Make sure Meta AI works where you are

Oakley's FAQ notes that Meta AI and voice commands are available only in selected countries and languages, so check that yours is supported if "Hey Meta" has never worked. If the wake word works but Meta AI can't tell you the weather or answer other location-based questions, Meta says location access for the Meta AI app must be set to "always allow" in your phone's settings.

When to contact Meta support

If voice commands still don't work after you've switched microphones, paired the glasses again and tried a factory reset, Meta says to contact Meta Store Support. Use the Get support button at the bottom of any article in its AI glasses help center.