Apple Fusses Over Privacy As It Prepares Smart Glasses

Apple is reconsidering its approach to smart glasses before formally entering the market. The company, known for its focus on privacy (to an extent, anyway), is reportedly fixated on maintaining that aspect of its image as it prepares its first smart glasses—a notoriously invasive type of wearable—for launch. Per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is worried about how members of the public will respond to yet another camera-, microphone-, and AI-equipped wearable device that often blends into the background.

Citing anonymous sources, Gurman says Apple is mulling ways to make the product feel less intrusive. Its ideas include improved recording indicators, more on-device processing, and most importantly, privacy controls for recorded content. Apple is also reportedly considering versions of its smart glasses that don’t include a camera at all.

Apple is expected to unveil the glasses at WWDC 2027, with a release following within the year, possibly alongside the 20th anniversary iPhone edition.

The smart glasses category has already drawn criticism from privacy advocates, prompting even Meta to make it harder for users to surreptitiously record their surroundings. As a result, Apple’s challenge is not only to build the product, but also to present it in a way that aligns with its privacy-first branding.