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Smart glasses are becoming increasingly common, but their growing popularity is also creating a new privacy problem: how can people tell when a camera-equipped pair of glasses is nearby?
A new wave of smartphone apps is attempting to answer that question by scanning for Bluetooth signals associated with smart glasses. The tools have emerged as public concern grows around devices such as Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, which can capture photos, record video, and interact with an AI assistant.
Several developers created apps that can identify nearby smart glasses by looking for their Bluetooth Low Energy signals. The idea is relatively simple: compatible glasses communicate with a smartphone through Bluetooth, and detector apps use those signals to identify certain models.
One of the apps highlighted in recent reports is Zuckoff, a free iPhone application that can alert users when a potentially compatible pair of smart glasses is nearby. Other tools, including Nearby Glasses and Antizuck Smart Glasses Scanner, have also been developed for people concerned about being recorded without their knowledge.
The technology is not limited to one manufacturer. Developers are compiling identifiers associated with different smart-glasses models so their apps can recognize more devices.
There is an important limitation, however. A Bluetooth detector cannot tell whether a pair of glasses is actively recording. The apps can indicate that a recognized device is nearby, but that does not necessarily mean its camera is switched on. Bluetooth signals can also be affected by walls, distance, and other physical obstacles. False positives are possible as well.
That means users should treat these applications as awareness tools rather than proof that someone is filming them.
The rise of detection apps comes as smart glasses face increasing scrutiny over covert recording. Some public venues have started considering or introducing restrictions, while privacy advocates argue that existing rules may not adequately address the risks posed by increasingly discreet wearable cameras.
The concern could become more significant as manufacturers make smart glasses smaller, more fashionable, and harder to distinguish from ordinary eyewear. Meta introduced safeguards such as an external light intended to indicate when its glasses are recording. However, recent reports and privacy controversies have raised questions about whether such indicators are always enough to reassure bystanders.
Also Read: Apple Smart Glasses Rumored for 2027 Launch as Privacy Takes Center Stage
The popularity of these apps highlights a wider problem: consumers are increasingly turning to technology to protect themselves from other technology. For now, Bluetooth-based scanners offer a relatively simple way to become more aware of smart glasses in the vicinity. However, developers themselves acknowledge that the tools cannot guarantee privacy or determine whether recording is taking place.
As smart glasses become more widespread, the debate is likely to shift beyond whether people should use them to what rights bystanders should have when someone nearby is wearing a camera-equipped device.
