How to use Meta glasses: every button, tap and voice command

1. Turning Meta glasses on and off

The power switch sits on the inside of the left arm, near the hinge. Meta’s help page for Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta HSTN (checked October 19, 2026) gives two steps: “Slide the power switch towards the lenses” to turn them on, and “Slide the power switch towards the back of the glasses” to turn them off. When they power on, the LED blinks and then turns solid green. When they power off, it blinks red.

The same page lists Oakley Meta Vanguard, Meta Glasses and Ray-Ban Meta Audio but gives no separate steps for them, so if you own one of those, check the in-app tour (Meta AI app, Glasses, then “See all” next to “Learn and explore”, then “Take a deeper dive”). Before any of this works, the glasses have to be paired with the Meta AI app. We cover that step by step, including the fixes when pairing fails, in how to connect Meta glasses to an iPhone, so it is not repeated here.

2. How to take pictures and record video

One press of the capture button takes a photo; press and hold starts a video. That is Meta’s wording on its capture help page (checked October 19, 2026): “To take a photo: press the capture button” and “To record a video: press and hold the capture button. Press again to stop recording.”

The voice versions are “Hey Meta, take a photo”, “Hey Meta, take a video” and “Hey Meta, stop”. Meta’s POV shooting guide adds two more: “Hey Meta, record in slow motion” and “Hey Meta, start a hyperlapse”.

The light on the front tells people what you are doing. Meta says the white notification LED blinks and makes a sound when you take a photo, and stays on while you record. Meta’s July 2026 privacy FAQ adds that “The capture LED has no off switch” and that covering it disables the camera. Use that as a cue rather than a loophole: tell the people around you before you film them, and follow local recording law, which differs by state. Our recording laws by state guide has the detail.

How long a clip runs is a setting. Meta’s POV guide says clips run up to 30 seconds by default and can be extended in the app to 3 minutes on most models, or 5 minutes on Oakley Meta Vanguard (checked October 19, 2026). File formats, where media is stored and how import works are covered in our Meta glasses recording guide.

3. The touchpad: music, podcasts and volume

Five gestures on the right-arm touchpad control audio. Meta’s audio help page (checked October 19, 2026) lists them in this order:

• Volume up:“Swipe forward to turn the volume up.”
• Volume down:“Swipe back to turn the volume down.”
• Play or pause:“Tap once to pause or play audio.”
• Next track:“Double tap to skip forward.”
• Previous track:“Triple tap to skip back.”

The same page gives voice equivalents after “Hey Meta”: “Pause”, “Resume”, “Next”, “Skip”, “Play”, “Volume up”, “Volume down”, “Mute” and “Unmute”. Meta lists one set of gestures for Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta, Meta Glasses and Meta Ray-Ban Display, with no model-specific differences noted.

Meta places this touchpad on the right temple: “Use these gestures on the touchpad on the right temple to adjust volume and control audio.” The capture button is a separate control: a single tap on the touchpad plays or pauses audio rather than taking a photo.

4. Hey Meta: starting the assistant and useful commands

There are two ways to wake Meta AI: say “Hey Meta”, or tap and hold the touchpad. Both are on Meta’s “How to use Meta AI” help page (checked October 19, 2026). The tap-and-hold route is the quieter one for a café or an office.

Commands that page lists as examples include:

• “How much battery is left?”
• “Send my last picture to [contact name].”
• “Hey Meta, describe what I’m seeing.”
• “Hey Meta, scan this QR code.”
• “What time is it?” and “What’s the date?”

Weather and other location questions only work if location access for the Meta AI app is set to “always allow” in your phone settings, Meta notes. For translation, which has its own set of steps and languages, see our Meta glasses translation guide.

5. Calls and messages

Incoming calls are answered by voice: “Hey Meta, answer” or “Hey Meta, decline”. To end a call, Meta’s calling help page (checked October 19, 2026) says to “double-tap the touch pad on your glasses”, hang up from your phone, or say “Hey Meta” followed by “Hang up” or “End call”.

To place a call or send a message, say “Call [contact name]” or “Send a message to [contact name]”. Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram have to be connected inside the Meta AI app first; that one step is the answer to “how to use Meta glasses on WhatsApp” and “on Instagram”. One limit worth knowing: Meta states that emergency calls “must be initiated from your mobile device.”

Note that double-tap does two different jobs. During music it skips forward; during a call it ends the call. If a call drops when you meant to skip a song, that is why.

6. Meta glasses control cheat sheet

Every control above in one table, as Meta’s help pages describe them on October 19, 2026. Steps for the power switch apply to Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta HSTN; Meta Ray-Ban Display has its own setup guide with the Neural Band.

A dash means Meta’s pages give no gesture for that action. Battery figures per model are in our Meta glasses battery life guide.

7. What works without your phone or Wi-Fi

The camera and audio work without the app connection; the assistant and imports do not. Meta’s “How to use AI glasses” page (checked October 19, 2026) says that without a connection to the app you can still capture photos and videos, check the battery level if voice controls are enabled, and listen to audio from a Bluetooth-connected phone. Meta AI, importing captures and software updates need Wi-Fi.

In practice that means the first setup, and anything that relies on the assistant, needs the phone, the Meta AI app and a Meta Account. On a hike with no signal you can still shoot, and the photos wait on the glasses until you import them later. If the Meta Account requirement is the sticking point, our guide to smart glasses without a Meta account covers the alternatives.

8. How the OXIVUE M08 compares

The OXIVUE M08 is simpler to learn because it does less: a touch on the temple starts a photo or clip, and nothing records unless you start it. It costs $99 at checkout (listed $149), weighs about 42 g, and has an 8 MP camera, open-ear speakers rated at 7 hours of listening or 4 hours of calls, Bluetooth 5.4, and a choice of sun, photochromic or clear lenses.

The app side is different from Meta’s. Pairing, getting photos and clips onto your phone, translation in 40+ languages and the assistant all go through the free HeyCyan app, which does not use a Meta, Facebook or Instagram account. Translation needs your phone nearby: the translated audio is heard only by you, the other person reads the reply on your phone, and it pauses after each sentence. Our HeyCyan app guide walks through the app.

What the M08 does not do: it has no display, it does not take prescription lenses, and it has no published water rating, so keep it out of heavy rain. If you already own Meta glasses, this page is for you and there is nothing to buy. If you are deciding between the two, the comparison page lists every OXIVUE model side by side, and what Meta glasses docovers Meta’s feature set.

Shipping, refunds and warranty. Free shipping from $99. US orders typically arrive in 5–9 business days; international orders take 9–14 business days. 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. See the shipping policy and warranty.

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