GEN-19: Raise the volume by itself in noisy places

Last updated:

Part of the EchoVision Wish List, under General.

  • Status: Under review.
  • What owners asked: When the surrounding environment gets noisy, it would help if the glasses automatically raised the volume of the audio in the speakers, and lowered it again when things quieten down. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses already do this, and it makes a big difference when walking along busy streets or in crowded places, where Live AI and Reading Mode can be hard to hear.
  • Related: HW-06: Louder speakers in noisy places

The need

On busy streets and in crowded places, speech from the glasses can be hard to hear, including Live AI and Reading Mode. Owners raise the volume with a touchpad swipe, then have to lower it again once it is quiet. That means taking a hand off the cane or guide dog, often while walking.

Today's workaround

Swipe forward on the touchpad to raise the volume, and backward to lower it. The volume is also in the EchoVision app, under Settings > Audio.

In other products

  • Owners say the Ray-Ban Meta glasses already raise and lower their volume with the noise around them.
  • Many earbuds and phones offer something similar, often called adaptive or automatic volume, so some owners already know how it behaves.

What it would look like

  • The glasses listen to the noise around you, and raise the volume when it gets loud and lower it when it gets quiet.
  • An on or off switch in Settings > Audio.
  • Touchpad swipes still work, and set the level the glasses adjust from.

Pros and cons

  • Pro: easier to hear in noisy places, without stopping to change the volume.
  • Pro: no need to remember to turn it down again in a quiet room.
  • Pro: owners coming from Ray-Ban Meta glasses, or using earbuds that do this, already expect it.
  • Con: the volume can change when you don't expect it.
  • Con: it can only go as loud as the speakers allow, which is HW-06. Glasses built mainly for music and calls may have more speaker headroom to work with.

Open questions

  • Should it change the call volume too, or only the glasses' own speech?
  • How quickly should it react, so a passing bus doesn't make speech jump up and down?
  • Should the glasses' own speech be left out when they measure the noise?
  • What do owners who have used it on other glasses or earbuds like or dislike about it?

History

  • November 5, 2026: Under review. From an owner's email.