Install Even G1, Even's official app for the G1, and keep it. Even's newer app, called Even Realities, is for the Even G2 and R1 ring, not the G1. Add Mentra if you want things the Even G1 app does not list, such as live captions, AI meeting notes or flashcards. The open-source clients are for people comfortable installing apps from GitHub. Last verified 19 October 2026.
- There are two Even apps: Even G1 is for the G1; Even Realities is for the G2 and R1.
- Mentra officially lists the G1 as supported and adds captions, notes, maps and more as free miniapps.
- Neither Even nor Mentra documents running both apps on the G1 at the same time, so use one at a time.
- Keep the Even G1 app installed even if Mentra becomes your daily app.
How they compare side by side
| What you get | Even G1 (official) | Mentra | Open-source clients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | Even Realities | Mentra Labs | Independent developers, plus Even's own reference app |
| Phones | iPhone (iOS 16 or later) and Android | iPhone (iOS 15.5 or later) and Android | G1 Extended: Android only. Cue: iPhone, built from source |
| Cost | Free; translation time sold in hour packs inside the app | Free; no in-app purchases listed on the App Store | Free |
| What it does on the G1 | Dashboard, notifications, QuickNote, Navigate, Teleprompt, Translate | Miniapps: Live Captions, Live Translation, Notes, Teleprompter, Maps, Merge, LinkLingo, MemCards, Calendar Reminders, Dash, Streamer | G1 Extended: custom HUD layouts. Cue: hands-free teleprompter. EvenDemoApp: developer reference |
| Where apps run | On your phone, driving the glasses | On your phone (Mentra says this saves the glasses' battery) | On your phone |
| Install from | App Store or Google Play | App Store or Google Play | Mostly GitHub; some must be built from source |
| Best for | Everyone with a G1 | Captions, AI notes and more apps | Tinkerers and developers |
First, make sure you have the right Even app
Even Realities publishes two companion apps with similar names, and only one of them is for the G1.
The safest way to get the right one is Even's download page: choose Even G1 and it links to the correct store listing. The Even Realities App Store listing describes itself as the app to manage your Even G2 and Even R1 and does not mention the G1. If you installed Even Realities and it cannot find your G1, this is the likely reason.
- Even G1 (for the G1): Even G1 App Store listing and Google Play.
- Even Realities (for the G2 and R1 ring): App Store, with Android linked from Even's download page.
Which one to use for what
Sources for this section: Even G1 App Store listing, Mentra on the App Store, MentraOS, G1 Extended and Cue.
Live captions for conversations
The Even G1 app does not list a captions feature. Mentra does: its Live Captions miniapp prints speech line by line on the G1 display. Compare it with other options on live captions on smart glasses.
Translating a conversation
Both offer it. The Even G1 app has a built-in Translate feature, with translation time sold in hour packs inside the app. Mentra has a Live Translation miniapp. Check each one's supported languages before you travel. More options are on translation on smart glasses.
Presenting from notes
Both have a teleprompter: Teleprompt in the Even G1 app, and Mentra's Teleprompter. Cue is an open-source alternative with head-gesture page turns, but you build it yourself with Expo. See teleprompter apps for smart glasses.
Directions
The Even G1 app has Navigate. Even's developer reply on the App Store says driving navigation is not supported. Mentra offers Mentra Maps, with turn arrows on the display and spoken prompts.
Meeting and lecture notes
The Even G1 app has QuickNote for short voice notes. Mentra's Notes records a whole conversation and returns structured notes afterwards.
Custom layouts
On Android, G1 Extended unlocks HUD (the text display in the lens) layouts the official app does not expose. Its developer is clear that it is not an official app, and it installs outside the Play Store.
Can you run the Even G1 app and Mentra at the same time?
We could not find documentation from Even Realities or Mentra that says you can. The G1 keeps two Bluetooth connections open to your phone, one for each arm (Gadgetbridge, EvenDemoApp). How a second app shares those connections is not documented, so treat them as one at a time:
- Decide which app you want to use right now.
- Fully close the other app on your phone.
- Open the app you want and connect the G1 from inside it. The display should show that app's content.
- If it cannot find the glasses, close it, restart the G1 and connect again. Even's support site describes a restart by tapping both TouchBars several times.
Keep the Even G1 app installed
Keep it even if Mentra becomes your daily app. It is the maker's app for the G1, and Gadgetbridge warns that you may need the vendor app at some point to manage the glasses.
A note on privacy
Captions, translation, notes and Mentra's Merge assistant all work by listening through the G1's microphones, and the processing happens on your phone and the services it uses. The G1 has no camera, but the people around you are still being transcribed. Tell them when captions or notes are running, and check each app's privacy policy before you use it at work.
Next step
See every app we have checked for the G1, with the source for each claim, on the Even Realities G1 apps page, or browse the smart glasses app directory by what you want to do.
How we checked: we compared the official store listings, Even's download page, Mentra's own pages and each open-source project's documentation on 19 October 2026. We have not tested these apps on a G1 ourselves; where something is not documented, we say so above.
Find apps that work on your glasses
Every app in the directory lists the glasses it runs on, how it works on each, and the official source that proves it.