Meta Launches Camera-Free Audio Glasses to Address Privacy Backlash

Meta unveiled the Ray-Ban Meta Audio, a camera-free smart glasses model designed to provide an alternative to its camera-equipped glasses, which have faced widespread criticism over privacy concerns. Announced at Meta Connect 2026 on September 23, the audio-only glasses offer music playback, phone calls, speech translation, and access to Meta's AI assistant Muse—without the ability to record video. The product addresses public backlash that saw camera-equipped smart glasses dubbed "pervert glasses" or "spy glasses" following multiple reports of people using them to record others without consent.

Developed in partnership with EssilorLuxottica over two years, the Ray-Ban Meta Audio starts at €349 (£319/$349). The camera-free design allows for a lighter frame weighing 43 grams, compared to camera-equipped models, with up to 12 hours of battery life per charge and 48 hours with the charging case. The glasses come in 23 color and lens combinations across two new styles: a retro-inspired Clubmaster and a classic Burbank rectangle shape. They are customizable with optical prescriptions and will be available for preorder on October 13.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated during the keynote that the company had developed "a whole new category of glasses around audio glasses" after recognizing the demand for high-quality audio wearables. The company maintains that the two-year development timeline predated recent public controversy, though the timing has drawn attention as a strategic response to privacy concerns that prompted bans in UK pubs, theatres, Comic-Con, schools, and other venues.

Meta simultaneously announced the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3, the next-generation camera-equipped glasses featuring a 12 MP camera supporting 3K Ultra HD video, a six-microphone array, and up to nine hours of battery life at €449 (£409/$449). New styles include Aviator and Zena frames. Both products include LED indicators that flash when recording, with Meta claiming improvements to tampering detection. The company also announced new brand partnerships with singer Lisa and expanded the Ray-Ban Meta Display smart glasses (featuring a virtual display) to the UK and Canada for the first time, priced at £749 and CA$1,149 respectively.