Naver Maps is extending walking directions to AI glasses, with Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta named as the first supported devices. Its October 12 announcement describes spoken route guidance and voice requests for arrival times and nearby places. Android comes first; iOS support is planned later.
The release gives a support sequence, but leaves several practical access details open. BIG CHANGE has not tested the integration or independently confirmed that a particular device and account can use it today.
Directions and local queries by voice
Naver says wearers can hear directions to their destination, including information about travel direction and whether the route includes stairs or escalators. The feature extends the real-time voice walking guidance that Naver says it introduced in June.
The company also describes a dedicated voice invocation feature for glasses. Its examples include asking for an estimated arrival time or a nearby convenience store. That brings route information and local search into the spoken interaction, without requiring repeated checks of the phone screen.
Naver does not explain the underlying model or how voice requests are processed on Meta devices. For the forthcoming Google/Samsung eyewear, it specifically says Gemini will be able to call and launch Naver Maps for navigation. The release provides no developer API or integration instructions.
The support sequence has two parts
The glasses brand and the phone operating system each affect the announced access path:
Environment | What Naver announced | What remains unverified |
|---|---|---|
Ray-Ban Meta or Oakley Meta with Android | These device families receive support first; Android is the first supported OS. | Exact supported models and generations, app version, setup procedure and account access. |
iOS | Support will be added in stages. | A release date and live availability. |
Google/Samsung intelligent eyewear | Naver Maps support and Gemini invocation are planned for eyewear Naver describes as due in 2026. | A confirmed Naver integration release date and usable access. |
Google's May 19 eyewear announcement distinguishes audio glasses from glasses with a display, with audio glasses planned first for late fall. It also says the eyewear will work with Android and iOS phones. That hardware compatibility promise has a broader scope than Naver's Maps rollout: Naver still lists iOS integration as forthcoming.
Naver's release does not specify a minimum Maps app version, required firmware, regional availability, supported languages or an additional charge for the feature. It also does not establish that navigation works without a paired phone. Those omissions limit how useful the announcement is as a setup guide or purchasing basis.
The big change
Naver is extending its existing walking-navigation service to a wearable voice interface and adding spoken requests for local information. The useful change for Maps users is access to directions and route-related queries through glasses. The announced order puts Meta devices and Android first, while Google/Samsung hardware and iOS support remain later steps.
The evidence establishes the company's proposed interaction and compatibility sequence. It supplies no measurements of navigation accuracy, reduced phone use or safety outcomes, and does not describe camera-based obstacle recognition.
Naver also outlines a possible future experience for glasses with displays: augmented-reality routes, nearby store information and available Place coupons. It gives no delivery date for those visual features. They belong to its future plans, separate from the voice navigation announced on October 12.
Sources & further reading
- Naver: AI glasses walking-navigation announcement, October 12, 2026. The primary Korean release specifies route information, voice-query examples, first device families and the Android/iOS sequence. It describes Gemini invocation and future display features as planned; it does not provide a setup guide or independent availability evidence.
- Google: intelligent eyewear announcement, May 19, 2026. Official background on audio and display eyewear, the planned late-fall audio release and phone compatibility. These general hardware statements do not confirm that the Naver integration is live.
This article is based on company documentation. BIG CHANGE did not test the glasses or Naver Maps integration.
