Do Meta Glasses work with an iPhone?

Yes, Meta Glasses work with iPhones. Both the $299 Ray-Ban Meta and the $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display pair with iPhones running iOS 15 or later, and the Meta AI app (free on the iOS App Store) handles setup, photo sync, and firmware updates. There is no iPhone feature gap compared to Android.

This FAQ answers the most common questions iPhone users have about Meta Glasses. For setup steps, see the how-to-connect FAQ.

What iPhone do I need to use Meta Glasses?

You need an iPhone running iOS 15 or later. That covers every iPhone from the iPhone XS (2018) onward. There is no special chip requirement — Meta Glasses do not use any iPhone-specific hardware like the U1 ultra-wideband chip or the Secure Enclave.

Older iPhones (iPhone 8, iPhone X) cannot run iOS 15 and are not supported. The Meta AI app requires a 64-bit device.

What iOS version do I need?

iOS 15.0 or later. iOS 17 or iOS 18 work. iOS 26 works. Meta tests against the current iOS version plus the two prior major releases. As of June 2026, that means iOS 24, iOS 25, and iOS 26 are all actively supported.

If you are on iOS 14 or earlier, the Meta AI app will not install. You will need to update your iPhone to use Meta Glasses.

Do all Meta Glasses features work on iPhone?

Yes. The feature set is identical between iOS and Android. Specifically:

• Camera capture and gallery sync — Full support, identical to Android
• Meta AI voice assistant — Full support
• Multimodal Meta AI vision (describe what you see) — Full support since April 2024
• Livestreaming to Facebook and Instagram — Full support
• DMs and notifications — Full support, with iOS notification permissions managed in the Meta AI app
• On-lens display features (Meta Ray-Ban Display only) — Full support
• Meta Neural Band gestures (Meta Ray-Ban Display only) — Full support

There are no iPhone-specific feature limitations as of the June 2026 firmware release.

How do I set up Meta Glasses on an iPhone?

The setup is a four-step flow:

1. Install the Meta AI app from the iOS App Store
2. Sign in with your Meta account (the same account that owns your Facebook and Instagram)
3. Put the glasses in pairing mode by holding the button on the right arm for 5 seconds
4. Tap "Add device" in the Meta AI app and follow the on-screen prompts

The full setup takes 3-5 minutes. The glasses need to be in their charging case during the firmware update step, which is automatic and takes another 5-10 minutes.

Can I import my Meta Glasses photos into the iPhone Photos app?

Yes. The Meta AI app can be granted access to your iPhone Photos library. When enabled, photos taken with the glasses sync into the iPhone Photos app at full resolution. The sync is one-way — from glasses to phone — and runs over Wi-Fi.

The default sync behavior is to keep photos only in the Meta AI app's private library. If you want the photos in your main iPhone Photos library, you have to enable the integration in the app settings. This is an opt-in step because it requires giving the Meta AI app access to your iPhone Photos library.

Does the Meta Neural Band work with iPhone?

Yes. The Meta Neural Band that ships with the Meta Ray-Ban Display is paired directly to the glasses, not to the phone. The glasses are then paired to the iPhone over Bluetooth. The iPhone does not need to know the Neural Band exists; the glasses translate the Neural Band gestures into iOS notifications and app actions.

This is a meaningful design choice. If Meta had paired the Neural Band directly to the iPhone, it would have to be an MFi accessory and Apple would have to approve it. By going glasses → phone, Meta avoids the MFi requirement entirely.

Will Meta Glasses work with the iPhone 18?

Yes. The iPhone 18, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone 18e, iPhone Air 2, and the iPhone Fold all run iOS 27 and are fully compatible with both Meta Glasses models. There is no iPhone 18-specific blocker. Meta's iOS app was updated to support iOS 27 features in the spring 2026 release cycle.

For a side-by-side of the iPhone 18 Pro and Meta Ray-Ban Display as a daily-carry combo, see our iPhone 18 Pro hub.

Are there any iOS 27 features that improve Meta Glasses?

Three iOS 27 features have a small but real effect on the Meta Glasses experience:

• Background app refresh refinements — photo sync from glasses to phone is faster on iOS 27
• Live Activities on lock screen — Meta AI notifications appear as Live Activities on the iPhone lock screen, which makes the glance-and-go loop cleaner
• Improved Bluetooth audio routing — phone calls initiated from the glasses now route through the iPhone more reliably

None of these are Meta Glasses features per se — they are iOS 27 features that happen to make the glasses work better.