Smart glasses and other wearable tech with built-in cameras pose a growing privacy concern, largely because they often resemble regular eyewear, making it easy to be recorded without knowing. To address this, developer Yves Jeanrenaud has created a new Android app called Nearby Glasses, which alerts users when someone nearby is wearing smart glasses or other Bluetooth-enabled recording devices.
The app constantly scans for Bluetooth signals emitted by devices such as Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses and Snap’s Spectacles. When it detects a nearby signal from these devices, it immediately sends an alert to the user, allowing them to be aware of potential surveillance in their vicinity. Users can also add custom Bluetooth identifiers to detect other devices, expanding its coverage beyond the default list.
Jeanrenaud said the inspiration for the app came from learning about cases where smart glasses were misused, including for immigration enforcement and harassment. On the project page, he described such devices as “an intolerable intrusion, consent neglecting, horrible piece of tech.” He added that Meta’s decision to enable facial recognition by default on its smart glasses heightened privacy risks, motivating him to create a tool that gives people some control over their surroundings.
The app works by listening for the unique identifiers assigned to Bluetooth devices by manufacturers. While it can sometimes generate false positives—for instance, alerting for a nearby VR headset from Meta—it generally allows users to recognize wearable devices before they become aware of being recorded.
In testing, the app accurately identified Apple devices when the Bluetooth identifier for Apple products was added. This demonstrated that the app functions as intended, though the presence of multiple devices in close proximity can lead to a flood of notifications.
Jeanrenaud continues to enhance the app’s functionality and hopes to develop an iPhone version in the future, although progress depends on available time and resources. He acknowledges that the app is a technical solution to a broader social problem, describing it as “a desperate act of resistance” to help users maintain some degree of privacy in an increasingly surveilled environment.
As wearable tech becomes more common, tools like Nearby Glasses provide a proactive way for people to monitor their surroundings and protect their personal space, even if the underlying privacy challenges persist.
Meta and Snap did not comment on the app when approached.
