App Alerts Users to Nearby Camera-Equipped Smart Glasses

Meta's smart glasses are being used to violate privacy, but a new app aims to help people detect them.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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A new app called "Nearby Glasses" has been released on Google Play that can detect the presence of nearby smart glasses, like Meta's Ray-Ban Display, which have been used to secretly film people in private settings like bathrooms, courts, and doctor's offices. The app works by identifying the Bluetooth advertising frames broadcast by these devices, allowing users to be aware of potential privacy violations.

Why it matters

The rise of stealthy, camera-equipped smart glasses has raised significant privacy concerns, as some owners have used them to harass and film people without their consent. This app is an attempt to empower people to be aware of and push back against this type of surveillance technology in their communities.

The details

The "Nearby Glasses" app was created by hobbyist coder Yves Jeanrenaud as "a tiny part of resistance against surveillance tech." It works by detecting the Bluetooth advertising frames broadcast by smart glasses, which can alert users to their presence. While the app may occasionally return false positives, such as near VR headsets, it provides a way for people to be aware of potentially camera-equipped glasses in their vicinity.

  • The "Nearby Glasses" app was just released on the Google Play store in February 2026.

The players

Yves Jeanrenaud

A hobbyist coder who created the "Nearby Glasses" app to help detect the presence of camera-equipped smart glasses in order to resist surveillance technology.

Meta

The parent company of Facebook, which produces the Ray-Ban Display smart glasses that have been used to secretly film people in private settings.

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What they’re saying

“I consider it to be a tiny part of resistance against surveillance tech.”

— Yves Jeanrenaud, App Creator (404 Media)

What’s next

The app is currently only available on Android devices, but the developer has indicated they may consider expanding it to other platforms in the future to help more people detect and avoid potential privacy violations from camera-equipped smart glasses.

The takeaway

As smart glasses and other surveillance technologies become more prevalent, apps like "Nearby Glasses" highlight the need for greater safeguards and user awareness to protect individual privacy. This is a crucial issue that tech companies and policymakers will need to grapple with as these devices continue to evolve.