Dare Divil Collective

The new Ray-Ban Meta 20.0 update brought more changes than the official release notes admitted, and as someone who uses these glasses every day as a blind creator, I wanted to break down what actually matters. This is especially important for anyone still on the Gen 1 model, because this update quietly showed just how far Meta is pushing users toward Gen 2.

The biggest improvement for me is that slow motion and hyperlapse finally work on both Gen 1 and Gen 2. That matters because a feature like hyperlapse lets me walk around, capture the moment, and still keep listening to music or an audiobook since hyperlapse does not record audio. For workflow, that means I can stay focused and stay in motion without losing my rhythm. Slow motion being available on Gen 1 also brings new creative possibilities without upgrading hardware.

But we have to be honest. Gen 1 users are starting to get left behind. The five minute recording limit still stays exclusive to Gen 2, and that affects creators who record longer clips or rely on the glasses for hands-free filming. When you create content the way I do, every limitation shows up in your workflow fast. This update also reminds us that Meta now has to support multiple devices at once, and Gen 1 is slowly getting less attention.

The new app connections layout inside the Meta app is a small but useful improvement. As a blind creator, clarity and organization matter because I navigate everything through a screen reader. Having connected and non-connected apps separated, and seeing what each app is paired with, helps me stay in control of my setup. It also removes the frustration of hunting through settings to disconnect or re-connect something.

The biggest disappointment is still the missing Conversation Focus mode. That feature was announced months ago, and it was supposed to help isolate the voice in front of you and reduce background noise. Features like that are not just upgrades for blind creators. They’re essential tools for independence. Whether you’re at an event, in a loud venue, or recording something on the go, having clearer audio could change the entire experience. The fact that this still has not arrived on either generation says a lot about how slow some of the accessibility-friendly features are rolling out.

Overall, the 20.0 update gives Gen 1 owners a few exciting tools, but it also makes it clear that Meta is steering creators toward the newer hardware. As someone preparing courses for blind users and creators, updates like this are a reminder that we need to track features version by version, not assume both models will grow evenly. The good news is that hyperlapse and slow motion expand what’s possible on Gen 1. The bad news is that the gap between Gen 1 and Gen 2 is becoming more obvious every month.