To use Hands-Free cooking, you need:

• An iPhone 15 or later; Hands-Free cooking is not currently available on iPad.
• iOS 26 or later, with Apple Intelligence turned on. Most iPhones have this on by default; check your device Settings to confirm.
• The Meta AI app installed, updated and connected to your AI glasses and the NYT Cooking app (completed during our setup flow).
• Bluetooth and microphone access allowed for NYT Cooking, so it can connect to your glasses and hear your voice commands.
• Your Meta AI-enabled glasses powered on, with the glasses arms unfolded, and their software up to date. Glasses software updates happen in the Meta AI app.

For assistance with your glasses or the Meta AI app, please see the Meta Help Center.

Hands-Free cooking comes in two experiences, depending on your glasses.

Audio

• You hear each step read aloud through your glasses' speakers. 
• Navigate through the recipe steps via voice.
• The audio experience works with: 
  • Ray-Ban Meta
  • Oakley Meta HSTN
  • Oakley Meta Vanguard
  • Meta Ray-Ban Display
  • Ray-Ban Meta Optics
  • Meta Glasses

Audio and display

• In addition to the audio experience, the steps also appear on the in-lens display as you cook.
• You can navigate with voice, with the touchpad on your glasses, or with gestures using the Meta Neural Band.
• This experience is available on Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses only. 

The first time you open a recipe with Hands-Free support, you may see a Cook Hands-Free with Meta's AI glasses notification. Select Connect glasses to start setup, or Dismiss if you’re not ready.

If you do not see the notification or you dismiss it, navigate to a recipe with Hands-Free support and select Hands-Free in the Preparation section of a recipe. Recipes without the Hands-Free option do not yet support Hands-Free cooking.

To set up your device:

1. Select Allow when asked to discover other Bluetooth devices:
   
2. Review the terms. Select all three boxes and I Agree to proceed:
   
3. You will be directed to the Meta AI app and prompted to connect NYT Cooking to your device. Select Connect to continue; you will then be directed back to the NYT Cooking app. 
4. Microphone access is required - select Allow when prompted.
5. Your glasses will be shown as connected on the list of connected devices. Select Start Hands-Free to begin!
   

After the initial set up, to use Hands-Free cooking:

• Open a supported recipe in the NYT Cooking app.
• Make sure your Meta AI glasses are powered on, connected in the Meta AI app, and worn, with the arms fully unfolded.
• Select Hands-Free in the Preparation section of a recipe page, then Start Hands-Free in the bottom sheet, and you can begin!

Navigate within the recipe using simple voice commands, such as next, back, or help. Say exit to exit the Hands-Free mode.

The Hands-Free option is not visible on a recipe.

Check that your glasses are powered on, connected in the Meta AI app, and within Bluetooth range of your phone. Hands-Free cooking only appears when NYT Cooking can detect connected glasses. Hands-Free cooking is only available on select recipes right now, with more added over time. If the option doesn’t appear and you’ve met the requirements listed earlier, this recipe isn't supported yet.

Which recipes work with Hands-Free?

Here are some top collections that feature Hands-Free functionality:

• Our 50 Most Popular Recipes of All Time (So Far)
• Our 50 Greatest Hits, According to You
• Healthy Weeknight Dinners
• Healthy Soup and Stews
• 20-Minute Dinner Recipes for Busy Parents (and Everyone Else, Too)
• Game Day Recipes
• High-Protein Breakfasts
• High-Protein Dinners 
• Healthy Weekday Lunches
• Quick and Easy Grilling Recipes
• Brunch Recipes

The recipe steps I hear are different from the steps on my screen.

Hands-Free steps are restructured with AI to make it easier to follow the recipe with voice.

My device cannot connect to my glasses.

Having your glasses set up and connected to your device and the Meta AI app installed and updated is a prerequisite for Hands-Free cooking within the NYT Cooking App.

Make sure you are wearing your glasses with the arms fully unfolded, or try restarting the NYT Cooking app.

A voice command is not working.

Check your device’s Settings to ensure NYT Cooking has microphone access. Hands-Free cooking recognizes a specific set of commands rather than open-ended requests, so simple, basic commands (e.g. start, next step, go back, repeat, done) work best.

Hands-Free cooking stopped when I got a phone call.

Cooking pauses automatically during a call or other conflicting audio. Once the call (or audio) ends, reopen the recipe and select Play in the bottom dock to pick up where you left off.