How to import photos and videos from Ray-Ban Meta glasses to your phone

Ray-Ban Meta glasses save every photo and video to their own storage. Nothing goes to your phone until the Meta AI app imports it. On most phones that happens on its own; when it doesn't, it takes a tap.

This guide is based on Meta's camera guides and privacy Q&A, with troubleshooting steps from Ray-Ban's support FAQ. Oakley Meta glasses also store clips on the glasses and use the same app, according to Meta.

How importing works

Captures are stored privately on the glasses, and you choose when to import them, Meta says in its privacy Q&A. Once they're on your phone, they're saved to your phone's gallery like any other photo or video.

The transfer uses two connections. Your phone stays connected to the glasses over Bluetooth, and for the import itself the Meta AI app connects directly to a temporary Wi-Fi network created by the glasses, according to Ray-Ban's support FAQ. That's why both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi need to be switched on on your phone.

Auto-import

Meta says auto-import is on by default on most iPhones and on Android phones running Android 13 or later, in its guide to shooting POV video. With it on, new photos and videos are imported to your phone automatically. If your phone isn't one of those, or you turned the feature off, check the import settings for your glasses in the Meta AI app or import by hand.

Import manually

1. Turn on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on your phone, and make sure your glasses are on and paired with the Meta AI app.
2. Open the Meta AI app.
3. If the glasses have photos or videos that haven't been imported, an Import button appears next to the Gallery. Tap it.

When it's done, the files show up in your phone's photo app, where you can watch, trim or sort them into albums like anything else you've shot. Videos are saved as MP4 on Android and HEVC on iPhone, according to Meta.

Share from the Meta AI app

You can share straight from the app without hunting through your camera roll:

1. Open Gallery in the Meta AI app.
2. Select the photo or video.
3. Tap Share and pick an app or a contact.

You can also share by voice once your accounts are linked; see our guide to taking photos and video for the commands.

Cloud processing

Ray-Ban's FAQ describes an optional cloud media processing setting. With it on, your media is processed in the cloud for higher-quality photos and videos and features like montages and suggested picks, and copies are stored in the cloud for 30 days before they expire automatically. You can turn it off in settings at any time, and deleting a photo or video from your gallery also deletes it from the cloud.

If the import doesn't work

Ray-Ban's FAQ says the Import button should appear when four things are true: the glasses are paired with the app, the glasses are on, your phone's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on, and there are captures waiting. If it doesn't show up:

1. Turn the glasses off and on again, and close and reopen the Meta AI app.
2. If that doesn't help, unpair the glasses and pair them again, and make sure they aren't paired to another phone.
3. On Android, if you get an error saying media can't be imported while the glasses are updating, force stop the Meta AI app from your phone's settings (Apps, then Meta AI, then Force stop) and try again.

Restarting the glasses won't delete photos or videos you haven't imported yet, Ray-Ban says. A factory reset will: it permanently erases every capture on the glasses, so import everything before you reset, sell or return a pair. Ray-Ban's return instructions tell you to import all your captures before the reset for that reason.

For pairing problems that keep the glasses from connecting at all, start with our setup guide.