Ray-Ban Meta glasses recorded conversations without wake phrase, owners say; Meta says issue resolved

Some owners of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses reported online this week that their devices had started capturing audio of conversations even though nobody had said the "Hey Meta" wake phrase. According to reports by Ars Technica, 9to5Google, Cybernews and Quartz, Meta responded through Android Authority that the issue had been resolved, without saying what caused it.

One of the most widely cited reports came from a Reddit user who said the behavior appeared on three different pairs of the glasses, including second- and third-generation models, according to Quartz, citing TechRadar. The owner said the "Respond without Hey Meta" setting was switched off, and that audio recordings and text transcripts of the conversations showed up in the history of the Meta AI app. According to Cybernews, and Quartz citing Gizmodo, the poster also said the white capture LED lit up during ordinary conversation; the poster told Reddit they first noticed the behavior after a recent firmware update, Ars Technica reported. Other users described similar unprompted activations, including during phone calls and while dictating to a phone, Cybernews reported, while not every owner experienced it.

In its statement as reported by Android Authority, Meta said: "This issue has been resolved." The company added that users can review, manage and remove the voice logs of their Meta AI interactions through settings whenever they want. Ars Technica noted that Meta has not confirmed whether a faulty update was responsible, and that the number of affected devices is unknown. Android Authority said it could not reproduce the problem before Meta announced the fix, according to Ars Technica, which said it had asked Meta about the scope and about preventing similar bugs and had not received a reply at the time of publication.

Cybernews reported that Meta support had advised the original poster to revoke the microphone and camera permissions, switch off Wear Detection, clear the voice history and stop automatic updates. According to Quartz, citing TechRadar, the glasses are supposed to record voice only after the wake phrase or a button press; the voice activity log in the Meta AI app lets owners delete recordings but offers no way to stop them from being made. TechRadar also pointed out that Meta's privacy notice mentions voice services being activated "inadvertently" and says some recordings may be reviewed by Meta staff, Quartz reported.

The episode adds to existing privacy concerns about camera- and microphone-equipped glasses. Meta has pointed to the recording indicator light as a safeguard, and has updated the glasses so they will not record when that light is covered, according to Ars Technica and 9to5Google. Quartz reported that Meta permanently disabled cameras on thousands of pairs where the LED had been covered or destroyed. Eyewear retailer Hans Anders has suspended sales of the glasses in the Netherlands and Belgium, Quartz said, and Ars Technica reported that Norway is considering a temporary ban.