The Apple team behind the upcoming smart glasses is reportedly exploring several tweaks related to user privacy.
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Apple is expected to soon reveal its entry into the smart glasses market, but it may be taking its time to make sure it gets user privacy right. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is grappling with how to address major privacy concerns when it comes to smart glasses. Gurman reported that the "teams developing glasses within Apple's Vision hardware group and elsewhere in the company see privacy as priority No. 1."
As eager as people may be to see Apple's take on smart glasses, it makes a lot of sense that the company is taking extra steps when it comes to this new hardware category since it has carved out a reputation of emphasizing user privacy. To tackle these concerns, Gurman reported that Apple is working on several "new hardware and software-related privacy features not available on current products." On the software side, Apple will likely adopt some privacy protections, like the ones seen with Meta, where it will disable recording if it suspects that the light that indicates recording has been tampered with, according to Gurman.
However, Apple is also mulling over neutered versions of its smart glasses, Gurman said. One option would be to offer smart glasses that don't have a camera included at all, while another solution could be building smart glasses with a full camera system but no ability to take photos or video, according to Gurman.
Apple's smart glasses were initially scheduled to debut this year, but the timeline has reportedly been pushed back to next year. According to Gurman, Apple is expected to make its reveal during the next WWDC in 2027, followed by a release by the end of 2027. Until then, Apple and its consumers can see how the privacy battle plays out with Meta and its AI glasses, which were recently named in a class action lawsuit.
