Meta has announced a feature update for its Ray-Ban Display smart glasses and confirmed that the product will be sold in five additional countries. The expansion brings the glasses to Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Italy, moving the device beyond its previous US-only availability. The announcement was made on 24 September 2026.
The update touches nearly every part of the glasses experience, from how wearers appear on video calls to how they navigate cities and manage daily schedules. Meta’s stated goal is to shift more functionality onto the glasses themselves, allowing users to leave their smartphone in their pocket for smaller tasks.
Hologram brings a photorealistic avatar to video calls
The most striking addition is Hologram, a feature that creates a photorealistic digital representation of the wearer for video calls. Unlike the current setup, where callers see only what the wearer is looking at because no camera faces the user’s face, Hologram gives the other person a visible avatar to interact with.
According to Meta, the avatar is generated from a short self-capture taken in the Meta AI app. Once created, the animation is driven entirely by the user’s voice. Meta states that the system analyzes both the content of speech and its delivery, then derives lip movements, facial expressions, and emotions from that analysis.
Hologram will enter early access on WhatsApp in the fall. Initially, the feature will be limited to users in the United States. Meta has not indicated when or whether the early access will extend to other markets.
Navigation gains cycling routes, live transit, and landmark guidance
Navigation on Ray-Ban Display is also being upgraded. The glasses can already provide turn-by-turn directions, but the new update adds cycling routes and live transit information. Transit departure times will appear directly in the display, giving wearers real-time updates for buses and trains without pulling out a phone.
Navigation is launched by voice command, keeping the interaction hands-free. The new navigation features will initially be available only in the United States and Canada.
Meta is also developing a pedestrian navigation mode that incorporates visible landmarks. In one example provided by the company, a street name would be replaced with a description of a nearby building, making directions easier to follow in busy environments. Meta has not revealed when landmark navigation will launch or which countries will receive it.
Explore app centralizes glasses-specific content
A new Explore app is designed to serve as a central hub for content made specifically for the glasses. Meta says the app will cover learning, entertainment, gaming, and discovery, giving users a single place to find new experiences built for the display.
The Explore app is part of a broader effort to make the glasses more self-contained. Alongside it, Meta is adding the ability for smartphone notifications to appear in the display. Users will be able to choose which notifications are shown, filtering out unwanted alerts. Meta has not announced a launch date for the notification feature.
Dolby Atmos recording and expanded calendar tools
Video captured with the glasses will now record with Dolby Atmos spatial audio. According to Meta, this creates a spatial sound field that helps identify the direction of sounds when the video is played back later.
Calendar integration is also being expanded. The glasses will show meeting participants and allow wearers to accept or decline invitations directly from the display. Users can also join meetings through the glasses, reducing the need to reach for a phone or computer.
Five new markets for Ray-Ban Display
The international expansion marks a significant step for the product. Ray-Ban Display was previously available only in the United States. With the addition of Germany, the UK, Canada, France, and Italy, Meta is bringing the glasses to a wider audience across Europe and North America.
The company has not provided specific release dates for each new market, but the expansion was announced alongside the feature update. The move aligns with Meta’s aim to move more functionality onto the glasses and make them a more independent wearable device.
For now, several features remain tied to specific regions or without firm launch dates. Hologram’s early access is US-only and begins in the fall. The new navigation features are limited to the US and Canada initially. Landmark navigation and the notification feature have no announced timing. The calendar and Dolby Atmos recording capabilities were not given separate regional restrictions in the announcement.
As Meta continues to build out the Ray-Ban Display ecosystem, the update shows a clear direction: more features on the glasses, fewer reasons to reach for a smartphone, and a gradually widening global footprint.
