Do Meta glasses work with iPhone? And with Android?

1. The yes/no, phone by phone

The question people type is short, and the answer is too: Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta glasses work with iPhone and with Android. What the search results hide is that “work with” has conditions, and that two of them can turn a yes into a no for a phone you already own. The table puts everything Meta states on its own pages next to what an OXIVUE M08 asks for, so you can run the check in one glance.

All Meta and store figures checked October 7, 2026; prices checked 2026-10-07 and the checkout price may change. The pairing steps themselves are a separate subject; this page stays on whether your phone qualifies at all.

2. iPhone: what Meta requires

Meta’s setup article is blunt about the app: the Meta AI app, formerly Meta View, “is only available on mobile devices and is required to support your glasses experience.” The pairing article says the same thing from the other side: to use the glasses, you must first pair them to your phone using that app. There is no web, desktop or Bluetooth-only route around it.

That makes the App Store listing the real compatibility statement. On October 7, 2026 it reads “Requires iOS 17.2 or later.”Apple’s own list of iPhones that can run iOS 17 begins with the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max from 2018 and the iPhone SE (2nd generation), and runs up through the current models. So the practical rule is simple:

• iPhone XR, XS, 11, SE (2nd or 3rd gen), 12, 13, 14, 15 and newer: update to iOS 17.2 or later and Meta glasses will set up.
• iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X and anything older: Apple stopped these at iOS 16, the Meta AI app will not install, and the glasses cannot be set up. The frames may still appear as a Bluetooth audio device, but without the app you cannot pair, import media or run the assistant.

One more iPhone-specific note before you buy: feature parity between iOS and Android is not guaranteed, so do not assume a feature you saw demonstrated on Android works the same way on iPhone. If video calling is the feature you care about, see FaceTime on Meta glasses.

3. Android: what Meta requires

The Android answer is yes with the same two conditions. Meta’s setup article tells you to “download the Meta AI mobile app from the App Store or Google Play and log in using your account information,” and the Play listing for the app is live under Meta Platforms, Inc. Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta use that one app on both platforms, so the question “do Ray-Ban Meta glasses work with Android” has the same answer as the iPhone one.

What we cannot give you is a number. Google Play’s web listing no longer prints a “Requires Android” line, so the minimum version is not visible from a browser (checked October 7, 2026). The reliable test is to open Google Play on the phone you intend to use and see whether the Meta AI app offers to install. If the store says the app is not compatible with your device, that is the answer, whatever a forum post claims.

Everything else is the same as on iPhone: the glasses pair through the app, the Meta Account is mandatory, and media moves from the glasses into the app and then to the phone’s gallery. For a plain-language picture of what that app does day to day, read our Meta glasses app guide.

4. The Meta Account is not optional

This is the condition people most often hope to skip. Meta’s help page says, word for word, “You need a Meta Account to use your AI glasses.” You can create one with an email address, an Instagram login or a Facebook login, and you need to be at least 13 in most regions. The glasses “can only pair with one Meta Account at a time,” which is why a second-hand pair has to be reset before the new owner can use it.

Two things follow. First, a Facebook account is one way to create the Meta Account, not a requirement in itself, so “I deleted Facebook” does not by itself rule the glasses out. Second, there is no account-free mode: if you do not want a Meta identity attached to a camera you wear, the glasses are not for you, and that is a product decision rather than a phone-compatibility one. Our guide to smart glasses without a Meta account goes through the alternatives.

5. A one-minute check before you buy

• iPhone: open Settings, then General, then About, and read the iOS version. If it is 17.2 or higher, you qualify. If Software Update offers nothing above iOS 16, the phone cannot run the Meta AI app.
• Android:open Google Play, search for Meta AI, and check that the Install button appears rather than a compatibility warning. The version number under Settings, About phone, is useful but the store’s verdict is what counts.
• Account: decide now whether you are willing to hold a Meta Account. If not, stop here; nothing in the hardware changes that.
• Storage: photos and video import to the phone, so a phone that is already full will fill faster. This applies to every camera glasses brand, ours included.

If all three boxes are ticked, your phone works with Meta glasses and the rest is preference. If one is not, the next section is for you.

6. If your phone misses the cut-off: the OXIVUE M08

The OXIVUE M08 exists for the buyer who is holding an older iPhone, or an Android phone the Meta app rejects, and still wants camera glasses that work. It uses the free HeyCyan app instead of Meta AI. The App Store lists HeyCyan at “Requires iOS 13.0 or later” (checked October 7, 2026), which reaches back to iPhones Apple cut from iOS 17; our own support page lists iOS 14+ and Android 9+ as the versions we stand behind. The app is on Google Play as well.

HeyCyan does ask you to sign in to its own service, so we will not pretend it is account-free. What it does not ask for is a Meta, Facebook or Instagram identity. If that distinction is the one you care about, it is the whole point.

What you get for $99 at checkout (listed $149):

• An 8 MP camera set flush in the frame corner. A photo or clip starts only with a touch on the temple, which is a visible gesture; nothing records on its own. Ask before you record people, and check local law, which varies by state and country.
• Open-ear speakers and microphones for music, calls and the voice assistant over Bluetooth 5.4, rated 7 hours of listening or 4 hours of calls from a ~300 mAh cell.
• A ~42 g Italian TR90 frame with a choice of sunglasses, photochromic or clear lens.
• Translation in 40+ languages through the app: you hear the translation in the open-ear speakers, the other person reads the reply on your phone, and it pauses after each sentence. More on the translation page.

How the phone link works in detail, which layer carries what, and what happens when the phone is out of range are covered in camera glasses that connect to your phone. The M08 has no published water rating, so keep it out of heavy rain; the sibling models and their differences are on the comparison page.

7. What you give up by choosing the M08 instead

Honesty cuts both ways. The M08 is a $99 answer to a compatibility problem, not a feature-for-feature match for a $379 pair of Ray-Ban Meta, and three gaps matter:

• No Meta AI ecosystem.Meta’s assistant, its Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram tie-ins are Meta features. The M08 has a voice assistant and translation through HeyCyan, and that is the extent of it.
• No display, no prescription lenses. This is true of every OXIVUE frame. Nothing appears in your view, and the lens choice is sunglasses, photochromic or clear only. If you need vision correction all day, these cannot replace your glasses.
• The phone still matters. Like Meta glasses, the M08 needs the phone nearby and connected for translation, the assistant and file import. It does not make an old phone faster; it only stops the phone being the reason you cannot buy. See do smart glasses need a phone.

If your phone passes Meta’s check and you want the Meta ecosystem, buy the Meta glasses. If it does not pass, or you do not want the account, the M08 is the pair we would hand you, and it ships to 39 countries, the US included.

Shipping, refunds and warranty. Free shipping from $99, so a single M08 qualifies. US orders typically arrive in 5–9 business days; international orders take 9–14 business days after shipment, and import VAT or duties outside the US are paid by the recipient. No refunds except transit damage (replaced or refunded); faults are repaired or replaced under the 2-year warranty; change of mind and unmet expectations are not refundable. None of our frames take prescription lenses. Details on the shipping policy and refund policy pages.

Frequently asked questions