Google takes a page out of Meta's book, announcing smart hearing glasses at IO 2026

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Google is getting (back) into the smart glasses game.

At Google I/O on TuesdayThe company announced a new partnership with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster to create a new line of AI-powered sunglasses. The company says the devices will be built to be compatible with Android and iOS devices and have been developed in collaboration with Samsung. They will be available later this year, the company said.

Google is calling the new devices “auditory glasses,” because users will be able to give them verbal commands and perform actions through its suite of apps and services, including Gemini.

The user simply talks to their glasses (a demo shared on Tuesday involved a Googler ordering coffee online just by talking to the glasses), and the device, once connected, follows suit.

Google has been using smart glasses several times over the years. It got off to a bad start Google Glass years ago, which helped give rise to the derogatory term “glassholes”.

The smart glasses scene has changed quite a bit since then, however. Recently, large companies – especially Meta – and a small group of startups and small companies, have invested in it.