Meta finally confirms PH launch of AI glasses in Connect 2026 footnote

• Courtesy of Meta

Meta has finally confirmed that its artificial intelligence-powered glasses are coming to the Philippines later this year, with the country appearing not in the main Meta Connect 2026 announcement but in a footnote detailing the company’s next wave of international expansion.

The footnote states that Oakley Meta, Ray-Ban Meta and Ray-Ban Meta Optics will become available in the Philippines later this year, along with Turkey, Poland, Portugal, Israel, South Africa, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Malaysia.

The disclosure is significant for the Philippine market, which had previously been left out of the official rollout of Meta’s AI glasses despite the massive number of Filipinos using the company’s platforms.

Scam Watch Pilipinas co-founder Jocel De Guzman had earlier called out Meta for not treating the Philippines as a priority market, citing the lack of official local distribution of its AI glasses even as the company maintains one of its largest audiences in the country.

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Data published in Meta’s advertising resources indicate that Facebook had an estimated advertising audience of 95.8 million users in the Philippines in late 2025. Meta cautions that advertising reach figures should not be interpreted as monthly or daily active-user figures.

De Guzman has raised the issue as part of a broader call for global technology companies benefiting from the Philippine and Southeast Asian markets to give the region greater priority, including stronger local presence, consumer support and cooperation with authorities.

Meta’s Connect 2026 announcement now marks a shift, although the Philippine rollout was relegated to a footnote rather than highlighted in the main announcement.

The main text named Singapore, South Korea, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates as new markets, with Brazil coming soon. The Philippines and several other countries scheduled to receive Oakley Meta, Ray-Ban Meta and Ray-Ban Meta Optics later this year appeared separately in the footnote.

Meta did not provide a specific Philippine launch date, local pricing or details on which models will arrive first.

The confirmation came as Meta unveiled an expanded lineup of AI glasses at Connect 2026, including Ray-Ban Meta Audio and Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3.

Ray-Ban Meta Audio is the company’s first audio-focused AI glasses, while Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 comes with a slimmer design, longer battery life and a customizable action button for instant access to Meta AI. Meta said it expects to have more than 100 AI glasses options across Ray-Ban, Oakley and Meta Glasses by the end of 2026.

For the Philippines, one of the most significant announcements from Meta Connect 2026 was therefore found in the fine print: a market with a Facebook advertising audience approaching 96 million is finally being included in Meta’s official AI-glasses expansion.