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What you need to know
The Meta AI app has transformed from the Meta View application, traditionally focused on Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, into a broader platform. Now, anyone with a Facebook or Meta account can engage with the Llama 4 model through this app. While owners of Ray-Ban glasses will still manage their devices via the Meta AI app, the updated version introduces enhanced capabilities, including image generation and improved conversational interactions. The rollout for Android and iOS users commenced on April 29, but the new features are not yet visible in the current app version.
This overhaul of the Meta AI application signifies more than just a rebranding; it evolves the previous Meta View companion app into a comprehensive tool for accessing daily AI insights. Once fully launched, users can expect substantial enhancements beyond aesthetic adjustments.
As detailed in an announcement post from Meta, the new app offers a “personal AI designed around voice conversations.” This innovative platform is built on the Llama 4 framework, which boasts 17 billion active parameters and was released earlier this month.
Originally created for Ray-Ban glasses, the Meta AI app will retain features like Live Translation and Live AI discussions, while also allowing users to continue their conversations seamlessly through a History tab on their phones.
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Despite the previous limitations of the Meta View/Ai app to smart glasses, the launching version aims to integrate Meta AI more broadly within the Home tab, catering to all users, regardless of whether they own smart glasses.
(Image credit: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
The Meta AI app now supports features such as image generation and editing alongside conventional inquiries through voice or text. Owners of Ray-Ban Meta glasses can capture photos and request the Meta AI to “add, remove, or change parts of the image.” For users without glasses, there remains the option to create images for sharing on social platforms like Instagram.
Overall, the Llama 4-powered Meta AI is expected to provide responses that feel more “personalized and relevant,” enhancing engagement through improved conversational dynamics.
In North America, the AI will offer “personalized responses” that recall previous interactions and remember details shared by users, factoring in interests gleaned from other Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
Another feature being introduced in the Meta AI app is a Discover feed, which allows users to view and modify popular prompts shared publicly by others. Users do not need to worry about their private queries being exposed.
Finally, Meta is introducing a “voice demo powered by full-duplex speech technology” within the Meta AI app. This development seeks to provide a more natural voice interaction experience, utilizing conversational dialogue to generate responses rather than solely relying on pre-written text.
The need for Ray-Ban Meta glasses to engage in AI conversations via the Meta AI app has been eliminated. (Image credit: Meta)
Meta has released a white paper on conversational AI that discusses the merits of creating dynamic spoken dialogue characterized by quick turn-taking and overlapping speech, thus enhancing the naturalness of conversations as opposed to the conventional “half-duplex” model.
While the full-duplex demo currently lacks memory capabilities and is limited to users in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, it offers an exciting glimpse into the evolving possibilities of conversational AI technology, positioning itself as a competitor to alternatives like Gemini Live.
In a recent blog entry, Meta assured existing Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses users that essential features of the Meta View app will remain intact, and personal data will transition smoothly to the updated application.
Interestingly, despite the Meta AI app being searchable in the Play Store and App Store, the most current update still restricts functionality to those with Ray-Ban glasses.
The expected completion of these changes is on the horizon, and there is keen anticipation for their testing. The emergence of Meta AI and its Llama 4 model is set to pose a significant challenge to established AI applications such as Gemini and ChatGPT.
Source
www.androidcentral.com