A new Android app called Nearby Glasses detects Meta's smart glasses by scanning for Bluetooth advertising frames, alerting users when the camera-equipped devices are nearby. Created by hobbyist coder Yves Jeanrenaud, the app serves as a privacy safeguard against the stealthy nature of Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, which have been used to film people in bathrooms, courtrooms, and medical facilities.

Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses look like ordinary glasses but contain hidden cameras that can livestream without visible indicators, especially after users remove filming LED lights. The devices have been worn by ICE agents at protests, by protesters at immigration raids, and even by Mark Zuckerberg during his antitrust trial, raising serious privacy concerns. Judge Carolyn Kuhl immediately banned the glasses from her courtroom after recognizing their potential for juror identification through facial recognition software.

As Apple prepares to enter the smart glasses market, the Nearby Glasses app demonstrates how developers can create protective tools against surveillance technology. The app occasionally returns false positives near VR headsets like the Apple Vision Pro, but remains effective for public spaces. With smart glasses becoming increasingly popular for livestreaming on social media rather than practical augmented reality applications, Apple faces a critical decision: prioritize market success by including camera capabilities or maintain its privacy-first reputation by limiting recording functions.