The Apple team behind the upcoming smart glasses is reportedly exploring several tweaks related to user privacy.
Apple is expected to reveal its entry into the smart glasses market soon, but it may take time to ensure user privacy is respected. According to BloombergAccording to Mark Gurman, Apple is grappling with how to address key privacy concerns when it comes to smart glasses. Gurman reported that “teams developing glasses within Apple’s Vision hardware group and elsewhere across the company view privacy as the No. 1 priority.”
Even though people are eager to see Apple’s version of smart glasses, it makes perfect sense that the company would take extra steps when it comes to this new category of hardware since it has built a reputation for emphasizing user privacy. To address these concerns, Gurman said Apple is working on several “new hardware and software-related privacy features that are not available on current products.” On the software side, Apple will likely adopt some privacy protections, like those seen with Meta, where it will disable recording if it suspects the light indicating recording has been tampered with, according to Gurman.
However, Apple is also mulling neutered versions of its smart glasses, Gurman said. One option would be to offer smart glasses without a camera, while another solution could be to build smart glasses with a full camera system but without the ability to take photos or videos, according to Gurman.
Apple’s smart glasses were originally expected to debut this year, but the schedule has reportedly been pushed back to next year. According to Gurman, Apple is expected to make its reveal at 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.
