# Ray-Ban Stories

> Source: https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/ray_ban_stories
> Updated: 2026-10-15
> Fact-checked: 2026-10-15
> Categories: AI Tools & Products, Consumer AI Devices, Meta AI
> License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) - attribute to "AI Wiki (aiwiki.ai)"
> Cite as: AI Wiki. "Ray-Ban Stories." aiwiki.ai, 15 Oct 2026. https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/ray_ban_stories
> From AI Wiki (https://aiwiki.ai), the free encyclopedia of artificial intelligence. Reuse freely with attribution.

**Ray-Ban Stories** are camera and audio glasses made by Facebook, now called Meta, and the eyewear group [EssilorLuxottica](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/essilorluxottica) [1][2]. They went on sale on 9 September 2021 at $299 and were the first product of the two companies' partnership [1]. The glasses have no display. Two front-facing cameras take photos and short videos, open-ear speakers in the arms play audio and handle calls, and a phone app called Facebook View imports and shares what the wearer captures [1][3]. Voice control was limited to a set of "Hey Facebook" commands, which at launch did little more than start a recording [3]; updates in late 2021 and 2022 added Messenger calls and texts, media controls and support for French and Italian [1][4][10]. Stories came out two years before Meta put its generative assistant on glasses [5], and Meta's help center says [Meta AI](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/meta_ai) is not available on them [6]. Uptake was weak: internal Meta figures reported by *The Wall Street Journal* in 2023 put sales at about 300,000 units, with fewer than 10% of the glasses in active use [7][8]. Meta announced a successor on 27 September 2023. Now called [Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 1)](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/ray_ban_meta_gen_1), it kept the $299 starting price and added the assistant [5][17]. The product family, which has grown into a line of [AI glasses](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/ai_glasses), is covered in [Meta Ray-Ban AI Glasses](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/meta_ray_ban_ai).

## Background and development

The partnership started with an unsolicited email. According to *The Verge*, Luxottica's chief wearables officer, Rocco Basilico, wrote to [Mark Zuckerberg](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/mark_zuckerberg) asking to meet about smart glasses, and the deal was sealed when Zuckerberg flew to Milan in early 2019 to meet Leonardo Del Vecchio, Luxottica's founder and chairman [3]. Most of the features of the glasses, codenamed "Stella", were decided at a week-long workshop with senior executives from both companies. Facebook supplied the technology and software, Ray-Ban handled design and sales, and both companies declined to discuss the financial terms [3].

Facebook treated the glasses as a first step toward more ambitious hardware. Andrew Bosworth, then its vice president of augmented and virtual reality, told *The Verge* that the aim was to "lay the groundwork in the minds of consumers for the many, many, future products that we have to come in this space"; the same report said the company's eventual augmented reality glasses were codenamed [Orion](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/meta_orion) internally [3]. Basilico said Luxottica wanted smart glasses that were "not just a technological gadget, but something sexy": "We started with a sleek design and then we retrofitted the technology." [3]

The glasses carried no Facebook branding. TechCrunch's Lucas Matney noted that the frames showed neither the Facebook logo nor, even in small print, the company's name [9]. The company renamed itself Meta on 28 October 2021, seven weeks after launch [2], but the glasses kept the "Hey Facebook" wake phrase [4][10].

## Release and pricing

Ray-Ban Stories went on sale on 9 September 2021 in 20 style combinations, online and in selected stores in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy and the United Kingdom [1]. *The Verge* reported that they would be stocked almost anywhere Ray-Bans were sold, including LensCrafters and Sunglass Hut [3]. A second wave of markets followed in 2022: sales began in Spain, Austria and Belgium on 17 March at a starting price of EUR 329, and in France on 14 April [1][19]. Meta also said four new combinations with Transitions lenses would reach all markets in early April 2022, bringing the range to 28 variations, and it offered a virtual try-on through a Spark AR effect in Ray-Ban's Instagram shop [1].

| Market | Release date | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, United Kingdom | 9 September 2021 | $299 in the US [1] |
| Spain, Austria, Belgium | 17 March 2022 | EUR 329 [1] |
| France | 14 April 2022 | EUR 329 [1][19] |

In the United States the price depended on the lenses [3]:

| Lens option (US, at launch) | Price |
|---|---|
| Standard lenses | $299 [3] |
| Polarized lenses | $329 [3] |
| Transitions lenses | $379 [3] |
| Prescription lenses | Varied with the buyer's insurance [3] |

## Design

Stories came in four Ray-Ban styles (Wayfarer, Wayfarer Large, Round and Meteor) in five colors, with clear, sun, Transitions and prescription lenses [1]. The 2022 additions were Round Shiny Black with gray or brown Transitions lenses, Wayfarer Matte Black with gray Transitions lenses and Wayfarer Shiny Black with brown Transitions lenses [1]. Alex Heath of *The Verge* found them the most comfortable smart glasses he had tried, only a few grams heavier than ordinary Wayfarers, and wrote that the technology was hidden so well that it was hard to tell they had cameras at all [3]. A white capture light sits next to the right camera [3]. The glasses were not built to get wet, and TechCrunch noted the lack of any waterproofing or even splash-proofing [3][9]. They shipped in a carrying case with a leather-like finish and a built-in battery that could recharge the glasses about three times; the case itself charged over USB-C [3].

## Hardware

The two 5-megapixel cameras take photos at 2,592 by 1,944 pixels and square video at 1,184 by 1,184 pixels [1][9]. Clips were capped at 30 seconds at launch, and Meta raised the limit to 60 seconds in April 2022, with the maximum selectable in the app [1][19]. According to *The Verge*, the onboard memory holds roughly 500 photos or just over three dozen 30-second clips, and footage moves to the phone over a Wi-Fi connection that the glasses set up themselves [3]. Sound comes from open-ear speakers in the arms, and a three-microphone array with beamforming and a background noise suppression algorithm picks up the wearer's voice for calls and videos [1][9]. A physical capture button sits on top of the right arm, and a touchpad on the side of the frame adjusts the volume and pauses playback [3]. A hard-wired LED lights up whenever the cameras capture, and a second light on the inside of the frame shows battery, pairing and error states [1][3]. According to *The Verge*, Facebook rated the battery at roughly six hours of intermittent use, with about an hour to charge [3], while TechCrunch reported the company's figure as six hours of continuous audio and "all-day" use otherwise [9]. VR & AR Wiki's [Ray-Ban Stories article](https://vrarwiki.com/wiki/Ray-Ban_Stories) lists the full hardware specifications.

| Specification | Ray-Ban Stories |
|---|---|
| Announced and released | 9 September 2021 [1] |
| Launch price | From $299 (US) [1] |
| Display | None [3] |
| Cameras | Two 5 MP cameras [1] |
| Photo resolution | 2,592 x 1,944 pixels [9] |
| Video | 1,184 x 1,184 pixels (square); clips up to 30 seconds, 60 seconds from April 2022 [1][9][19] |
| Storage | About 500 photos or just over three dozen 30-second clips [3] |
| Microphones | Three-microphone array with beamforming and noise suppression [1] |
| Speakers | Open-ear speakers in the arms [1][9] |
| Capture indicator | Hard-wired white LED next to the right camera [1][3] |
| Controls | Capture button, touchpad, "Hey Facebook" voice commands [1][3] |
| Battery (Facebook's figures) | About six hours of intermittent use; about one hour to charge [3] |
| Charging case | About three recharges; USB-C [3] |
| Water resistance | None [9] |
| Frame styles | Wayfarer, Wayfarer Large, Round, Meteor [1] |
| Companion app | Facebook View; later Meta View; since April 2025 the Meta AI app [1][11][12] |

## Software and voice control

### Facebook View app

Stories required a phone running the Facebook View app for iOS or Android. The app imported captures and let the wearer edit them, save them to the camera roll, or share them to Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat and other apps, and Meta built in what it called "post-capture enhancements" [1]. Some of the image processing happened on the phone: TechCrunch found that processing during upload improved the photos, hiding some of their trouble in low light and adding saturation, and that the twin cameras were used for 3D photo effects, which it judged weak at launch [9]. A Facebook account was required. Facebook said it was not analyzing what owners recorded in order to personalize ads, and that photos and videos captured with Stories would not be used to serve ads [3][9].

### "Hey Facebook" commands

Hands-free control came from Facebook Assistant voice commands, triggered by saying "Hey Facebook" [1]. At launch Facebook told *The Verge* that the assistant listened only for the wake phrase when it was switched on and that its functionality was "limited to starting recordings" [3]. In December 2021 Meta updated the Facebook View app so the same phrase could place calls and dictate texts to Messenger contacts, read incoming messages aloud, control playback and volume, and report the battery level. Zuckerberg announced the change in a Facebook post, and Voicebot.ai noted that the wake word was still "Hey Facebook" despite the company's new name [4]. Meta's March 2022 update confirmed the calling, messaging and media commands, available in English, and announced French and Italian voice commands for April 2022, along with spoken alerts when the battery was low, storage was nearly full or the glasses were too hot or too cold [1].

Meta's help center still documents the commands. They cover taking a photo or video, starting and stopping a recording, calling or messaging a contact, answering or declining a call, pausing, resuming and skipping tracks, changing the volume and checking the battery. They work in English, French and Italian, and the wake word has to be switched on in the Meta AI app's settings [10]. The commands are a fixed list, and Meta AI is not offered on Stories [6][10]. Reviewing the successor in 2023, Engadget's Karissa Bell recalled that she had not seen the point of the Stories voice commands and that saying "hey Facebook" "felt too cringey to utter in public" [13].

## Privacy and regulation

Facebook said it designed Stories "with privacy in mind" and published a privacy microsite with guidelines for responsible use [1]. For bystanders, the launch post pointed to a hard-wired capture LED that lights up to let people nearby know when the glasses take a photo or video [1]. Facebook consulted advocacy groups during development, including the National Network to End Domestic Violence and the LGBT Technology Partnership. Some of them told *The Verge* that the recording light should be more prominent, and Jeremy Greenberg of the Future of Privacy Forum warned: "You're going to have people use this device in unintended ways." [3]

European regulators raised the same concern within days. On 17 September 2021 Ireland's Data Protection Commission, Facebook's lead privacy regulator in Europe, said that it and Italy's data protection authority, the Garante, were concerned about how people being filmed would know it [14][15]. "With the glasses, there is a very small indicator light that comes on when recording is occurring," the commission wrote, adding that it had not been shown that Facebook or Ray-Ban had done comprehensive field testing of the LED as a means of giving notice [14]. The two regulators asked Facebook Ireland to demonstrate that the light was effective and to run an information campaign about the glasses [14]. A Facebook spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company would work with regulators, including the Irish commission as its lead regulator, and pointed out that the glasses have an off switch; the commission said it had been briefed before launch but not consulted on product features [15]. In March 2022 Meta said it would run a marketing campaign in its EU markets from April, explaining what signals to look for when the glasses are in use, telling wearers to stop recording if anyone objects and urging care around minors [1].

The light could also be covered. Gizmodo wrote in 2023 that a piece of tape would do it, although a Meta product manager had said that doing so would violate the glasses' terms of service [8]. The successor made the LED bigger and added software that stops the camera from working when the light is covered [11][13]. Broader questions about camera glasses are covered in [smart glasses privacy](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/smart_glasses_privacy).

## Reception and sales

Early reviews praised the frames more than the features. Heath called Stories "the most normal-looking, accessible pair of smart glasses to hit the market so far" and was impressed by the build quality, but wrote that the cameras were "nowhere as high quality as the cameras on modern smartphones" [3]. He compared their core function to Snap's [Spectacles](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/snap_spectacles), describing Stories as essentially a sleeker version [3]. TechCrunch's Matney rated photo and video quality "about on par with where smartphone cameras were about 10 years ago", found the speakers good in quiet places but weak outdoors and the microphones prone to picking up background noise, and concluded that the glasses did not do "anything particularly well". He still called Stories "a very important product" for making the case for face-worn wearables [9]. Looking back in 2023, Engadget's Bell wrote that Stories had been the most polished smart glasses she had tried, but that with "mediocre camera quality, they felt like more of a novelty than something most people could use" [13].

Sales were poor. In August 2023 *The Wall Street Journal* reported on an internal Meta document from that February. By then about 300,000 pairs had been sold, only about 27,000 were in use each month and fewer than 10% were being "used actively"; about 13% had been returned [7][8]. According to the Journal's account, the document listed battery life, connectivity problems, difficulty importing media, poor sound quality for podcasts and buggy voice commands among owners' complaints [8]. Meta did not comment on the report [7][8]. *The Verge* noted in February 2025 that Stories were probably not counted in the 2 million sales that EssilorLuxottica reported, because chief executive Francesco Milleri said the figure covered sales since 2023 [16].

## Successor and later support

Meta and EssilorLuxottica announced the successor at Meta Connect on 27 September 2023, dropping the Stories name and keeping the $299 starting price [5]. The new model replaced the two 5 MP cameras with a single 12 MP ultra-wide camera, went from three microphones to five, added livestreaming to Facebook and Instagram, and swapped the "Hey Facebook" commands for the Meta AI assistant, called up with "Hey Meta" [1][5][11]. Meta now calls that model Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 1) [17]. It was followed by [Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2)](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/ray_ban_meta_gen_2), announced on 17 September 2025 [17], and [Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3)](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/ray_ban_meta_gen_3), released on 23 September 2026 [18].

| | Ray-Ban Stories (2021) | Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 1, 2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Launch price (US) | $299 [1] | $299 [5] |
| Cameras | Two 5 MP [1] | One 12 MP ultra-wide [5] |
| Video | 1,184 x 1,184 pixels; 30 seconds, later 60 [1][9] | 1080p portrait; up to 60 seconds at launch [5][11] |
| Microphones | Three [1] | Five [5] |
| Livestreaming | Not supported [11] | Facebook and Instagram [5][11] |
| Voice | "Hey Facebook" device commands [1] | Meta AI ("Hey Meta"), US beta at launch [5] |
| Capture LED | Hard-wired LED [1] | Larger LED; camera blocked if covered [11][13] |
| Water resistance | None [9] | IPX4 [5] |
| Companion app | Facebook View [1] | Meta View [11] |

The companion app has changed names twice. It launched as Facebook View, was called Meta View by the time the successor arrived, and on 29 April 2025 became the Meta AI app [1][11][12]. Stories still work with it. To the question of whether Stories are still supported on the Meta AI mobile app, Meta's help center answers: "Yes, Ray-Ban Stories will continue to be supported." The same page says the iPad version of the app will also keep supporting Stories, and a footnote reads: "Meta AI not available on Ray-Ban Stories." [6] Owners use the app to import their photos and videos and to switch on the "Hey Facebook" wake word [10].

## References

1. "Introducing Ray-Ban Stories: First-Generation Smart Glasses." Meta Newsroom, 2021-09-09 (updated 2022-03-17). https://about.fb.com/news/2021/09/introducing-ray-ban-stories-smart-glasses/
2. "Introducing Meta: A Social Technology Company." Meta Newsroom, 2021-10-28. https://about.fb.com/news/2021/10/facebook-company-is-now-meta/
3. Heath, Alex. "Hands-on with Facebook and Ray-Ban's first pair of smart glasses." The Verge, 2021-09-09. https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/9/22662809/facebook-ray-ban-stories-camera-smart-glasses-hands-on
4. Schwartz, Eric Hal. "Meta and Ray-Ban Stories Smart Glasses 'Hey Facebook' Voice Assistant Adds Messenger Controls." Voicebot.ai, 2021-12-17. https://voicebot.ai/2021/12/17/meta-and-ray-ban-stories-smart-glasses-hey-facebook-voice-assistant-adds-messenger-controls/
5. "Introducing the New Ray-Ban | Meta Smart Glasses." Meta Newsroom, 2023-09-27. https://about.fb.com/news/2023/09/new-ray-ban-meta-smart-glasses/
6. "Meta View app is now the Meta AI mobile app." AI Glasses Help, Meta Help Center, accessed 2026-10-16. https://www.meta.com/help/ai-glasses/1964061290737893/
7. Baker, Harry. "Ray-Ban Stories Reportedly Only 'Used Actively' By 10% Of Owners." UploadVR, 2023-08-08. https://www.uploadvr.com/ray-ban-stories-used-actively/
8. DeGeurin, Mack. "Facebook Isn't Giving Up on Smart Glasses, Even if It Probably Should." Gizmodo, 2023-08-03. https://gizmodo.com/facebook-ray-ban-stories-sunglasses-not-used-1850704484
9. Matney, Lucas. "Review: Facebook's Ray-Ban Stories make the case for smart glasses." TechCrunch, 2021-09-09. https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/09/facebooks-first-smart-glasses-make-the-case-for-face-worn-wearables/
10. "Voice controls you can use with 'Hey Facebook' on Ray-Ban Stories." AI Glasses Help, Meta Help Center, accessed 2026-10-16. https://www.meta.com/help/ai-glasses/991440725061225/
11. "Ray-Ban and Meta launch the next generation of smart glasses." EssilorLuxottica press release, 2023-09-27. https://www.essilorluxottica.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/ray-ban-and-meta-launch-the-next-generation-of-smart-glasses/
12. "Meta View Is Now the Meta AI App: Here's What's New & What Stays the Same." Meta, 2025-04-29. https://www.meta.com/blog/ray-ban-meta-ai-glasses-new-companion-app/
13. Bell, Karissa. "Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses review: Instagram-worthy shades." Engadget, 2023-10-17. https://www.engadget.com/ray-ban-meta-smart-glasses-review-instagram-worthy-shades-070010365.html
14. "Data Protection Commission statement concerning Facebook View (glasses)." Data Protection Commission (Ireland), 2021-09-17. https://www.dataprotection.ie/en/news-media/latest-news/data-protection-commission-statement-concerning-facebook-view-glasses
15. Lomas, Natasha. "Facebook warned over 'very small' indicator LED on smart glasses, as EU DPAs flag privacy concerns." TechCrunch, 2021-09-20. https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/20/facebook-warned-over-very-small-indicator-led-on-smart-glasses-as-eu-dpas-flag-privacy-concerns/
16. Hollister, Sean. "Meta's Ray-Bans have sold 2 million pairs." The Verge, 2025-02-14. https://www.theverge.com/news/613292/meta-ray-ban-2-million-10-million-capacity-subscription-essilor-luxottica-earnings
17. "Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) Now With Up to 2X the Battery Life and Better Video Capture." Meta Newsroom, 2025-09-17. https://about.fb.com/news/2025/09/ray-ban-meta-gen-2-better-battery-life-video-capture/
18. "Introducing Ray-Ban Meta Audio and More AI Glasses Styles." Meta Newsroom, 2026-09-23. https://about.fb.com/news/2026/09/introducing-ray-ban-meta-audio-glasses-new-styles-plus-muse/
19. Moussie, Stéphane. "Ray-Ban Stories : les lunettes-caméra de Meta maintenant en vente à 329 €." WatchGeneration, 2022-04-14. https://www.watchgeneration.fr/wearables/2022/04/ray-ban-stories-les-lunettes-camera-de-meta-maintenant-en-vente-329-eu-12983