Meta unveils camera-free Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses amid 'pervert glasses' backlash
Meta launches an audio-only smart glasses line without cameras, as its camera-equipped Ray-Ban Meta glasses remain banned from pubs, theatres and schools over privacy concerns.
What to know
- Meta's original camera-equipped Ray-Ban smart glasses, launched in 2023, have been dubbed 'pervert' or 'creepy' glasses over covert filming incidents, leading venues like JD Wetherspoon, Comic-Con, some schools and Faslane naval base to ban them.
- A 2026 marketing push featuring Kylie Jenner did not resolve the reputational problem.
- Meta has now unveiled Ray-Ban Meta Audio, a camera-free version with calling and music features, which it says was in development for two years rather than a reaction to criticism.
- The new glasses are cheaper, lighter and have better battery life than the camera version, raising questions about whether audio-only devices could become Meta's mainstream product rather than a niche option.
Mark Zuckerberg Meta CEOAnkit Brahmbhatt Meta Glasses head of product
Kylie Jenner Brand ambassador for Meta's Ray-Ban glasses
How it unfolded 0 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump
-
background
Meta denies the launch is a response to privacy backlash — Meta says the audio-only glasses have been two years in development, pushing back on suggestions from industry observers that the camera-free pivot is a reaction to public anger over privacy.
-
background
Meta unveils camera-free Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses — Meta launches Ray-Ban Meta Audio, retaining calling and music functions via Bluetooth and voice activation but omitting a camera entirely; the product is cheaper, lighter and has better battery life than the camera version.
-
background
Meta enlists Kylie Jenner as a face of the glasses — Meta's summer marketing campaign featuring Kylie Jenner as its prime model fails to change the glasses' negative public image.
-
background
Venues and institutions ban the camera glasses — JD Wetherspoon pubs, several major theatres, Comic-Con, some schools and Faslane, home of the UK's nuclear submarines, all ban the camera-equipped glasses.
-
background
Reports emerge of glasses used to film people without consent — Multiple reports describe the camera glasses being used to harass women and girls by filming them without consent and sharing the footage, earning the devices the nicknames 'pervert' or 'creepy' glasses.
-
background
Meta launches camera-equipped Ray-Ban smart glasses — Meta and Ray-Ban launch AI-powered smart glasses with built-in cameras, which quickly draw controversy.