If you live in the UK and have a pair of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses or sunglasses, they’ve just got a big software update that gives them a brand new handy feature. Your glasses were already clever enough to take photos and videos, play music and livestream to Instagram, but now they can also answer questions about whatever you’re looking at.

Using the camera nestled in the frames to peer at what’s in front of you, all models of Ray-Ban Meta can now respond with information or suggestions if you ask the gadget something. This could make them much more useful day to day and fulfil the initial promise of the glasses, the latest version of which was released back in 2023.

After the free software download via the Meta View app on your iPhone or Android phone, the glasses will respond to queries such as, ““Hey Meta, What am I looking at?”.

“Imagine asking your glasses "Hey Meta, what's the name of that flower?" or "Hey Meta, tell me about this landmark" and getting instant answers,” Meta said. “This hands-free AI is a game-changer for productivity and exploration, opening up a world of possibilities for capturing, learning, and sharing experiences.”

The firm, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said the tech can also do things such as translate French or Italian wine labels and read them out to you, or tell you about the Van Gogh that’s hanging in front of you in a museum.