Zuckoff app launches to detect Meta AI glasses as privacy concerns mount

As demand for Meta AI smart glasses accelerates, privacy advocates and developers are moving to address the growing issue of non-consensual recording. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has warned that Meta’s devices may become increasingly invasive, particularly with the potential introduction of facial recognition features. The group considers Meta’s existing recording indicator light insufficient to protect users, noting that the tiny LED can be easily covered with a sticker. This concern is heightened by reports that Meta is testing a "super sensing" prototype that may not activate the light during continuous recording.

In response to these privacy anxieties, hobbyist programmers have released several applications designed to detect nearby smart glasses. The most recent addition is Zuckoff, which launched for free on iPhone in early August 2026. Developed by Pawel Szydlowski, the app uses Bluetooth signals to identify specific smart-glasses models and estimate their distance from the user. While the application cannot confirm if recording is actively occurring, it allows users to identify the presence of devices that may be harder to visually distinguish as the product range expands.

Zuckoff estimates distance based on signal strength, categorising proximity as "within arm’s length," "close," "near," or "far." This feature enables users to detect concentrations of smart glasses in specific areas, such as tourist hubs. The app collects no user data and was created partly in response to toxic content on social media regarding smart glasses. Szydlowski built the application in one week, utilising his decade of iPhone development experience to compile a list of unique Bluetooth identifiers by crawling Instagram and Reddit for photos of the devices.

The app aims to supplement public bans on smart glasses in sensitive locations, such as schools, courts, and restaurants, by providing a technological means to spot devices. The EFF argues that social friction alone is insufficient to stop the practice, especially as the hardware becomes more commonplace and harder to identify. Zuckoff offers an optional perpetual scanning feature for a subscription fee of approximately $10 per year, which covers continuous support costs. An Android version is currently in development, with the developer seeking 12 testers for a launch later this year.

Meta’s market position in the smart glasses sector is strengthening, with the company selling more than seven million AI glasses in 2025, a significant increase from the previous two years combined. The tech giant expects to start producing at least 20 million glasses annually by the end of 2026 to meet demand. To promote the technology as a fashionable accessory, Meta collaborated with celebrity influencer Kylie Jenner on a pair of Ray-Bans featuring an AI assistant that speaks in her voice. However, the campaign has also prompted global backlash, with critics arguing the ads encourage continuous recording without adequate privacy safeguards.

Despite the backlash, the glasses are not expected to disappear any time soon. Privacy experts suggest that a combination of community-level bans and technological detection tools like Zuckoff is necessary to manage the risks. Szydlowski believes the best long-term solution would be rules mandating companies to advertise a specific Bluetooth service identifier while recording, which would improve the effectiveness of civil defense apps. Until then, users are advised to use such tools to spread awareness of the risk that smart glasses may be present in rooms where they are unexpected or explicitly forbidden.