Meta has started restricting a core smart glasses feature behind a $20 monthly subscription, drawing criticism from users who say the feature runs entirely on-device with no cloud costs to justify the paywall.

Conversation Focus, which uses beam-forming microphones to amplify voices in noisy environments, now limits free users to just three hours per month. Paying Meta One Premium subscribers get 15 hours. The limit resets monthly.

The feature processes audio entirely on the glasses’ onboard hardware, not through a cloud connection. Critics argue that makes the paywall a pure profit play rather than a cost-recovery measure. Meta says the subscription supports ongoing AI development and premium device support.

“The vast majority of people will use Conversation Focus without hitting the monthly limit,” a Meta spokesperson told 9to5Google. The company emphasized that core AI features remain free and that the limit was based on early access usage patterns.

Meta One Premium costs $20 per month and also includes device support perks. The plan was announced in May as part of a broader subscription strategy across Meta’s product ecosystem, including expanded AI access on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.

The timing is awkward. Meta has been pushing smart glasses aggressively, launching cheaper $299 Meta Glasses in June and reporting that daily usage tripled year over year. Putting a usage cap on a built-in hardware feature risks alienating the very users driving that growth.

Conversation Focus joins a growing list of Meta features migrating behind paywalls as the company seeks recurring revenue beyond hardware sales. For smart glasses owners, the question is which feature gets capped next.

Source: 9to5Google, The Verge, BBC, Android Central