Case in point? Meta and Ray-Ban’s collaborative effort, simply called Stories. These smart glasses have just added support for WhatsApp messaging, among other nifty hands-free features. Stories glasses include a built-in microphone and speakers, so this update allows for hands-free calls, encrypted texting, and the ability to hear any message received spoken aloud. The integration of WhatsApp follows last year’s support for Facebook Messenger. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also stated that more features are rolling out to the smart glasses soon, like voice-activated message replies for both WhatsApp and Messenger. WhatsApp integration into the Stories ecosystem has been rumored since April. This newest spate of features adds to the functionality of the smart glasses, as they could already take photos and videos with onboard cameras and play audio content via integrated speakers. This move continues Meta’s transition from a pure social media company to a leading voice in the VR/AR space, along with the Quest line of virtual reality headsets and the forthcoming Cambria augmented reality glasses. For now, Stories smart glasses are only available in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, and Australia. It is worth noting that these glasses are not available in India and Brazil, and these two countries make up the lion’s share of WhatsApp users worldwide.
