How to use Meta AI?
Three ways in: install the Meta AI app, open meta.ai in a browser, or tap the AI circle in Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, or Messenger search. Then type or speak. It answers questions, generates images from "Imagine" prompts, animates photos into short videos from "Animate" prompts, and runs hands-free on Meta glasses. It's free.
Why — the first-principles explanation
The single habit that separates people who get good results from people who conclude AI is useless: you are steering a next-word predictor, and context is the steering wheel. The model isn't looking anything up in a database. It's producing the most plausible continuation of whatever you gave it. Give it "write a caption" and the most plausible continuation is the most average caption in existence — which is why it reads like a brand's LinkedIn post. Give it "write three captions under 12 words for a photo of my dog asleep in a laundry basket, dry humor, no emojis, no exclamation marks" and you've narrowed the space of plausible continuations to something that might actually be yours. Specificity isn't politeness. It's the mechanism.
Second, know that "Meta AI" is four different products wearing one name, and picking the wrong door wastes your time. The in-app assistant in Facebook or Instagram is a sidecar — good for a quick fact or a caption while you're already there, not for real work. The standalone app and meta.ai are the full product: it remembers your preferences across sessions, has voice mode, generates images and videos, and holds your history. The glasses version is hands-free and camera-aware, which makes it the only one that can answer questions about the thing in front of you. Same brand, genuinely different tools.
Third, the honest limits, because knowing them is part of using it well. It will be confidently wrong — the same mechanism that makes it fluent makes it fluent about things it doesn't know, so verify anything that matters. Availability varies by country, and voice mode launched in only four (the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand). And everything you type is stored as a chat until you delete it — which you can do, permanently, with no recovery folder.
An example that makes it click
Ordering coffee explains the whole thing. Walk up and say "coffee" and you'll get whatever the shop pours most often. It's coffee. You can't complain. But you also didn't choose it.
Say "large oat flat white, extra shot, no sugar, in a mug" and you get your drink — not because the barista tried harder, but because you eliminated every other option. Meta AI works the same way. The vague prompt and the specific one cost the same and take the same three seconds. Only one gives you a drink worth having.
How to do it
- Pick your door: install the Meta AI app on iOS or Android, open meta.ai in a browser, or tap the Meta AI circle in Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, or Messenger.
- Type your question, or tap the mic to speak. In the standalone app, full voice mode launched in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
- Be specific. Name the format, length, tone, and audience — "three options, under 20 words each, plain English, no emojis" beats "write something good."
- To make an image, start with "Imagine" and describe subject, style, lighting, and framing.
- To animate a photo into a short video: tap Upload, choose the image, then send a prompt starting with "Animate" plus the motion you want. Meta says it may take some time for the video to appear.
- To find things you've made: Menu → Media → Creations. From there you can animate, restyle, extend, or post to the Vibes feed.
- On glasses: say "Hey Meta" or tap and hold the touchpad, then ask. Camera questions work too — translating a sign, describing what's in front of you, scanning a QR code.
- To manage your data: Menu → Settings → Data & privacy → Manage your information → Delete all chats and media. This is permanent; there's no Recently Deleted folder.
Key facts
- The standalone Meta AI app launched in April 2025 on Llama 4 and is available for iOS and Android; the web version is at meta.ai.
- Full-duplex voice mode launched in four countries: the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
- The Meta AI app remembers preferences and context across sessions and includes a Discover feed for sharing and remixing prompts.
- Animation prompts should start with the word "Animate" and be detailed; Meta publishes no generation time guarantee.
- On Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta, and Meta Glasses, Meta AI activates by saying "Hey Meta" or by tapping and holding the touchpad, and can capture photos, send messages, translate text, and scan QR codes.
- The Meta AI app absorbed the Meta View companion app, so conversations started on glasses appear in the app's history tab.
- Meta AI is free as of 2026-07 — there is no consumer subscription for the assistant.
Meta's assistant inside WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and the web.
▶ The 60-second explainer (script)
Here's how to use Meta AI. Three ways in: install the Meta AI app, go to meta dot AI in a browser, or tap the AI circle in Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, or Messenger. Then just type. It's free. But the thing that actually separates people who get good results from people who think AI is useless is this: you're steering a next-word predictor, and context is the steering wheel. Ask it to write a caption and it gives you the most average caption in existence — that's not a bug, that's literally what it's computing. Ask for three captions under twelve words for a photo of your dog asleep in a laundry basket, dry humor, no emojis, and now you've narrowed it to something that might be yours. Specificity isn't politeness. It's the mechanism. Some specifics. To make an image, start your prompt with the word Imagine and describe subject, style, lighting, framing. To turn a photo into a short video, upload it and start the prompt with Animate plus the motion you want. On glasses, say Hey Meta or just tap and hold the touchpad, and you can ask about whatever's in front of you — translate a sign, describe a room. And know the limits. It will be confidently wrong, because the same thing that makes it fluent makes it fluent about stuff it doesn't know. Voice mode launched in only four countries. And everything you type is stored until you delete it, under Settings, Data and privacy, Manage your information.
What authoritative sources say
People also ask
Do I need an account to use Meta AI?
You can try meta.ai in a browser, but the app's useful features — memory of your preferences, history, and saved creations — are tied to a Meta account. Inside Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp you're already signed in.
Is Meta AI free?
Yes. As of 2026-07 there's no subscription for the Meta AI assistant. Image and video generation are free too. The real limits are geographic — some features, including voice mode, launched in only a few countries.
What's the difference between the Meta AI app and Meta AI in Instagram?
The app is the full product: memory across sessions, voice mode, image and video generation, and your history. The in-app version is a sidecar for quick questions while you're already scrolling.
How do I get better answers?
Add constraints. Name the format, length, tone, and audience, and say what to avoid. A vague prompt and a specific one take the same three seconds to type, but only one narrows the model to what you actually wanted.
Can Meta AI see through my glasses camera?
Yes, when you ask it to. Tap and hold the touchpad or say "Hey Meta," then ask it to describe what's in front of you, translate a sign, or scan a QR code.
The same question, asked other ways
- How to start a chat with Meta AI?0/mo