Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, has launched a standalone app for its Meta AI assistant.
Rather than simply stuffing the assistant into Messenger and WhatsApp as it had done before, Meta has now pushed Meta AI out into the world on its own. The company isn’t just giving users another app to download, but enhancing control, data, and its growth vision.
The app, powered by Meta’s newest Llama 4 model, is designed to feel like it knows you. It pulls from the information you’ve already shared on Instagram and Facebook—what you like, what you comment on, who you follow. The aim is to offer replies that are clever and personal.
At first glance, the Meta AI app works like a typical chatbot. Talk to it with your voice or text, and it responds. But this assistant also remembers. If you tell it you enjoy photography or Italian food, it won’t forget. That memory is used to impact future answers, making it seem more like a companion than a tool.
The app also links to Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses. You can ask something while wearing the glasses, then switch to the app later and carry on from the exact point you stopped. That back-and-forth between hardware and app shows Meta’s long game, keeping users inside its ecosystem no matter where they are or what device they’re on.
There’s also a Discover feed inside the app. It’s a stream of prompts and ideas shared by other users, turning what could’ve been a lonely assistant into something more social. You can remix what others share or post your own. “Nothing is shared to your feed unless you choose to post it,” Meta says.
The AI doesn’t have real-time access to the web yet, but it can search and offer general information. It also features a “full-duplex” voice demo—speech that flows more like real conversation than robotic answers. You can toggle it on or off, and Meta warns users may “encounter technical issues or inconsistencies.”
This release arrives just as Meta prepares for LlamaCon, its first-ever AI developer event. That said, the AI assistant is still a work-in-progress. While it’s rolling out in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand for now, wider availability will depend on how the first wave performs.
Subscription plans for advanced features are already in the pipeline, though a meaningful profit isn’t expected until next year at the earliest. For now, the focus is on adoption and feedback.
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