Camera glasses that connect to your phone: what each link actually does.

1. The two links: Bluetooth and the app

“Connects to your phone” on a product listing hides two different connections, and they do different jobs. Knowing which is which tells you what you are buying.

• Bluetooth 5.4: the always-on audio link.Every in-stock OXIVUE frame uses it. It carries music and podcasts from the phone to the open-ear speakers, your calls in both directions, and the assistant’s voice. To the phone, the glasses look like a headset.
• The HeyCyan app: everything else.You pair the glasses from inside the free app rather than from the phone’s Bluetooth menu. The app is where photos and video are imported, where translation and the AI assistant run, and where firmware updates come from. Expect to sign in to it; that is a HeyCyan login, not a Meta or social-media account, and there is no subscription.

Phone support, as our support page states it: iOS 14 or later and Android 9 or later, over Bluetooth 5.4. Translation and the assistant also need a data or Wi-Fi connection on the phone, because they run through the app and a cloud model. For a fuller look at the app itself, its permissions and its ratings, see the HeyCyan smart glasses guide.

2. What each model does over the link

The four frames share Bluetooth 5.4, an 8 MP camera and open-ear audio. They differ in what happens to a capture before it reaches the phone. Only the M14 lists onboard memory and Wi-Fi file transfer in its specifications, so this table does not assume either for the other three.

The M08 on a full-tint sun lens is the simplest way to get a phone-linked camera for a hike, a drive or a day on the water. The M02C does the same job with an IP65 rating and the visual assistant. The M14 is the one built for a phone that stays zipped in a jersey or a ski jacket.

3. When the phone is out of range

Bluetooth is a short-range link, and we do not publish a range figure for these frames. Treat it as the same room or the same pocket, not the next floor. When the link drops, this is what changes:

• Stops on every model: music, calls, translation and the assistant. All of them travel through the phone, so they come back when it reconnects.
• Keeps working on the M14: capture. Photos and 1080p clips save to its 4 GB of onboard memory, and you import them later, over Wi-Fi or through the app.
• On the M08, M02C and M08C: no onboard-memory figure is published, so plan on keeping the phone paired and nearby whenever you want to capture.

Whether you need a phone at all, and what the big-brand pairs do differently, is covered in do smart glasses need a phone?

4. Getting footage into your camera roll

The step most people miss: captures do not appear in your phone’s photo library on their own. They move only when you import them through the app.

1. Take the photo or clip with a touch on the temple.
2. Open HeyCyan with the glasses connected, and go to the gallery.
3. Import the captures you want. On the M14, the transfer can run over Wi-Fi.
4. Save or share them from the app to your photo library.

iPhone fix: imported clips never reach Photos. This is almost always a permission. Open Settings, find HeyCyan (under Apps on recent iOS versions), tap Photosand allow access. Then import again from the app’s gallery. On Android, check the app’s photos and media permission in Settings → Apps → HeyCyan → Permissions.

A note on translation while you are in the app: translated speech is heard only by the wearer, through the open-ear speakers. The app shows both sides as text, so you can turn the screen towards the other person.

5. Purchase check: five questions before you buy

1. Is my phone supported? iOS 14+ or Android 9+ for OXIVUE frames.
2. Will the phone often be out of reach?If yes, the M14’s onboard memory is the deciding feature.
3. Am I fine signing in to a free app? HeyCyan asks for a login. It is not a Meta account and there is no subscription.
4. Will I translate abroad? Then the phone needs data or Wi-Fi there.
5. Do I need prescription lenses? No OXIVUE frame supports them.

More reading: the wider category in the camera glasses guide, every model side by side on the comparison page, and the audio rules behind filming in the recording laws by state guide.

Shipping and warranty. Free shipping from $99. US orders typically arrive in 5–9 business days; international orders run 9–14 business days. OXIVUE does not offer refunds except for an order damaged in transit, which is replaced or refunded. Faults are covered by a 2-year warranty, handled by repair or replacement.

Frequently asked questions