I recently purchased the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses Gen 1, and they are pretty impressive. But the moment I started casually recording snippets of everyday life, a slightly uncomfortable thought arose. It’s just as easy for someone else to do the exact same thing, without thinking twice.
I’ve tried to be careful, to be careful about what I record and to be respectful of the people around me. But not everyone arrives this way. And if these privacy issues bother you a bit; I understand your point completely. In such situations, having a little backup helps. This is where this app fits in. It is designed for people who prefer to be aware of their surroundings. It can detect nearby smart glasses and alert you silently. This will help you stay on track and make you feel a little more in control when you’re out and about.
How do smart glasses work?
Attracted to smart glasses? Read this article to learn what they are and how they work.
This app scans for smart glasses that you can’t see
It searches for Bluetooth signals.
Close up glasses is an Android app designed to help you be more aware in public places. It works by scanning Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals and identifying patterns or signatures commonly associated with smart glasses. It keeps track of devices around you that could potentially be recording. If it detects a nearby object, usually within a range of approx 10 to 15 metersthe app sends you a notification alert.
It’s not pretending that someone is recording you, but it does alert you so you can be aware and decide how comfortable you feel at that moment.
One of the more reassuring parts is its approach to privacy. Nearby Glasses is open source, which means its code is publicly available on GitHub for anyone to inspect. It does not track your activity, run ads, or collect personal data in the background. You can download it on your Android phone from Google Play Store.
The app has two modes and one goal.
Keep you informed quietly
To get started, download the app from the Google Play Store on your Android phone. Once installed open it and tap on it. Start scanning.. That’s all you need to do to get things moving. The app gives you two ways to stay informed, depending on how actively you want to use it.
The first is straightforward. you can Turn on notificationsand the app will alert you whenever it detects something nearby. It works well if you don’t want to keep checking the app constantly.
There is another option. Canary mode. Instead of sending notifications, the app shows a small yellow bird moving around inside a box on your screen. As long as everything looks normal, the canary continues to move, indicating that nothing suspicious has been picked up. If the app senses something, the visual changes instantly. The box around the bird moves to a black and yellow caution pattern, indicating that something nearby needs your attention.
Since the app scans continuously, it can drain your phone’s battery over time.
The app worked near perfect when I tried it with my smart glasses. The alert quickly popped up as someone wearing glasses stood near me. Out of curiosity, I asked my mom to step outside into the corridor, and the app still managed to pick up the glasses. However, in some situations, both indoors and outdoors, the app would occasionally not send alerts, which was quite frustrating.
That said, the app is pretty clear about its limitations. It may occasionally flag other devices, such as VR headsets, as potential matches. So, if the app pings something, it’s best to treat it as an immediate reason to be alert, not a reason to immediately feel bad about someone around you.
What to look for when the app isn’t enough
Physical tells that most people completely miss.
Now that you have an app that can flag nearby smart glasses, it’s tempting to rely on it entirely. But it’s smarter to think of it as a helpful adjunct, not your only line of defense. So, if someone is recording, there are some telltale signs you can watch out for:
- This little LED is more important than you think.: Most smart glasses, including Meta’s Ray-Ban models, have a small indicator light on the frame. If it’s flashing or blinking continuously, there’s a good chance a recording is taking place.
- Look at the hands, not just the glasses: Recording usually starts by tapping on the frame. If someone keeps reaching for their glasses and tapping, especially more than once, it could be a sign that they’re animating photos or videos.
This LED can be covered with a sticker or blocked in some way. So while this is the most obvious clue, it’s not foolproof. This is why paying attention to behavior, such as repetitive gestures or oddly focusing, becomes so important.
Change these settings to prevent new Android apps from spying on you.
Freshly installed apps can do pretty much anything you want, unless you rein them in.
When in doubt, walk away.
Smart glasses are only going to become more common. They’re sleeker, more capable, and a sharp departure from a regular pair of frames. It’s great for the people who wear them—and occasionally a little annoying for everyone else in the room.
Here’s a good argument to make: If you walk into a store and someone starts recording you on their phone, you’ll see. You can say something. But if someone’s glasses are doing the same thing, most people won’t have a clue.
When you call tech support, they are legally required to tell you that the call is being recorded before it starts. You have to decide if you are okay with that. Smart glasses, right now, offer no such courtesy.
Nearby Glasses won’t fix it. It’s not perfect, it misses things, and it will occasionally flag your friend’s VR headset as a threat. As smart glasses become mainstream, expect more apps, and ultimately, more regulation. Until then, something that quietly taps you on the shoulder and says heads up is a good place to start.
- OS
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Android
- Pricing model
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free
- Open source?
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yes
This app helps you keep track of the smart glasses around you. It scans continuously in the background, so you don’t have to keep it open all the time. If it detects something, it sends you an instant alert, letting you know without interrupting what you’re doing.