Meta is developing an AI pendant and is also preparing to launch a business subscription service called Wearables for Work.

      A leaked memo from Meta confirms that the company is set to begin testing an AI-powered pendant next year. This development follows Meta's acquisition of Limitless at the end of 2025, which specialized in creating a pendant that users could attach to their clothing or wear as a necklace to record and transcribe conversations.

      The memo also details plans to enhance Meta's AI glasses range and introduce a business subscription service called Wearables for Work. This enterprise tier aims to market Meta’s hardware as a productivity tool rather than just a consumer gadget. Reality Labs, the hardware division of Meta, experienced a loss of $4 billion in the first quarter of 2026.

      The AI pendant category has faced challenges in the past. The AI Pin from Humane launched in 2024 but received poor reviews and was virtually defunct within a year, with HP purchasing the startup's assets for $116 million. Similarly, the AI pendant startup Friend invested over $1 million in subway ads but struggled to attract users. Neither device provided sufficient utility to warrant the extra accessory.

      However, Meta’s strategy differs in one key area: it already possesses a successful wearables business. In 2025, Meta sold over seven million Ray-Ban smart glasses, capturing about 82% of the smart glasses market. The pendant would serve as a complementary product within a proven ecosystem rather than as an independent device reliant on a nascent category.

      Before being acquired by Meta, Limitless secured over $33 million in funding from investors like Sam Altman and Andreessen Horowitz. CEO Dan Siroker noted that Meta's vision of achieving "personal superintelligence" through wearables aligned well with Limitless’s objectives. After the acquisition, the startup halted the sale of devices to new customers but continued support for existing ones.

      The Wearables for Work subscription is the most commercially intriguing aspect of the memo. Meta’s glasses already offer integration with Meta AI for voice queries, real-time translation, and visual identification. An enterprise tier could potentially provide features like meeting transcription, ambient note-taking, CRM integration, and hands-free access to workplace tools. This concept is similar to Microsoft's Copilot subscription model but delivered through hardware.

      The wearables market is beginning to categorize itself distinctly. Although the Apple Watch leads the smartwatch category, it is facing competition from screenless health trackers. Oura has applied for an IPO, while Whoop and Google’s Fitbit Air focus on passive data collection. Meta's pendant would fit into a fourth category: ambient AI capture, functioning as an always-on recording device that complements rather than replaces a smartphone.

      Significant privacy concerns arise with this type of device. Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses have already encountered legal challenges and regulatory scrutiny regarding the handling of footage from their built-in cameras. A pendant that records conversations presents similar, if not more acute, privacy issues. The regulatory framework in the EU, where Meta faces ongoing DMA enforcement and GDPR scrutiny, could limit the markets for this device.

      Meta’s hardware vision encompasses glasses, pendants, a forthcoming smartwatch known as Malibu 2, VR headsets, and a competitor to Vision Pro. The company is hoping that AI wearables will help reverse the cumulative losses of Reality Labs, which have surpassed $60 billion since the division's inception. The success of the pendant, in contrast to the failures of Humane and Friend, will depend on Meta's ability to make ambient AI recording useful and acceptable to users and those around them.