Meta ditches the camera on its newest smart glasses

Meta introduced Ray-Ban Meta Audio Glasses, a new smart glasses model with Meta AI but no cameras for recording photos or video. The launch comes as public concern over wearable surveillance devices rises, though Meta says its audio-only design has been in development for years.

Removing the camera may help Meta broaden smart glasses adoption by addressing one of the category’s biggest social barriers: being recorded without consent. The move suggests the market may split between full-featured AR devices and more acceptable audio-first wearables focused on AI assistance.