Meta’s Muse app can now talk back, with real-time voice and animated avatars

Meta has added voice to Muse, its personal AI agent app. Instead of typing prompts, users can now speak with their Muse in real time while an animated avatar reacts on screen. The feature is rolling out in the US first, on the mobile apps, on the web and on Mac.

How it works

A phone icon in the top-right corner of the app starts a call. Meta says its Muse Realtime Voice technology answers without noticeable delay and lets people cut in mid-sentence, much like a conversation with a person. Tasks keep running in the background while the user talks, so the agent can, for example, keep researching a trip while its owner is out walking or cooking.

The avatar is the other half of the update. It changes expression and gestures to match the tone of the chat and visibly reacts while listening. Users decide how much of it they want to see: voice alone, the avatar next to the conversation, or a full-screen view. There are hundreds of voices to pick from, and Meta’s own examples range from a New York accent to a pirate.

First impressions

The Verge, which already has the feature, found that replies come quickly, with occasional pauses while the agent looks something up, just as it does in text chats. The reporter also noted that a talking avatar can feel uncanny, especially one styled after a real person.

What comes next

Meta first showed real-time conversations with Muse at its Connect 2026 conference. Voice chats are due to reach the company’s AI glasses and the Muse Charm “soon”, though no date was given. The move puts Muse in direct competition with the voice modes already offered by ChatGPT and Gemini, and it fits Meta’s push to make its agent something people use hands-free rather than only in a chat window.

Reported by Meta, The Verge. Compiled with AI tools.