Apple is expected to enter the smart glasses market soon, but it is taking its time to get privacy right. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is grappling with how to handle significant privacy concerns around smart glasses — and the teams developing them see “privacy as priority No. 1.”
What Apple Is Worried About
As exciting as Apple’s take on smart glasses might be, the company has carved out a reputation centered on user privacy. Smart glasses with built-in cameras present unique challenges: they can record people without their knowledge, raising concerns that run directly counter to Apple’s privacy-first brand.
Possible Solutions Being Explored
Gurman reports Apple is working on “new hardware and software-related privacy features not available on current products.” On the software side, Apple may adopt protections similar to Meta’s — disabling recording if the system suspects the recording indicator light has been tampered with.
More dramatically, Apple is reportedly considering stripped-down versions of its smart glasses. One option would ship glasses with no camera at all. Another would include a full camera system but no ability to take photos or video.
Revised Timeline
Originally scheduled to debut this year, the timeline has reportedly pushed back to 2027. According to Gurman, Apple is expected to announce its smart glasses at WWDC 2027, followed by a release by the end of that year.
