Meta readies camera-free smart glasses codenamed Luna as privacy backlash builds

Meta is reportedly preparing a version of its smart glasses that ships without a camera, a shift that arrives amid sustained criticism of how its camera-equipped frames have been used to record people without their consent.

According to The Information, the device — internally codenamed Luna — could be unveiled as soon as Meta's Connect conference next week. The Verge, reporting on the claim, says the glasses replace the camera with six microphones for talking to Meta AI and a newer agent called Muse, alongside speakers for audio playback. Dropping the camera has apparently allowed Meta to shrink the arms of the frames, bringing them closer in appearance to ordinary glasses.

The Information also reports a shipping target of October, in two frame styles: Clubmaster and Burbank.

Why Meta is dropping the camera

Meta's existing smart glasses have proven popular, but the built-in camera has turned them into a flashpoint. The Verge notes that some people have used the glasses to film others covertly, in certain cases deliberately harassing targets in pursuit of viral attention online. The fallout has produced bans in settings ranging from New York courtrooms to Britain's largest pub chain.

The glasses do carry a recording indicator light, and Meta says the camera stops functioning if that light is tampered with. Even so, according to The Verge, a small group of users keeps developing workarounds that let them record with the light off, leaving Meta to close each loophole as it appears. A camera-free model sidesteps that entire problem by design.

A quieter device may raise its own questions

Losing the camera does not automatically settle Meta's privacy problems. The Verge points to the criticism directed at the new Apple Watch models announced last week over their always-on audio recording as evidence that microphone-based devices face their own scrutiny. Luna pairs microphone-driven interaction with a design intended to look like regular glasses, a combination the report suggests could trigger fresh concerns about when the device is listening. And on questions of trust, as The Verge observes, Meta rarely gets the benefit of the doubt.

AR hardware expected alongside

Luna may not be the only new eyewear at Connect. The Information reports that Meta also plans to show augmented reality glasses codenamed Phoenix, capable of projecting a virtual workspace or a movie screen into the wearer's view. Those are reportedly slated for release in 2027 and follow a similar AR concept device the company presented in 2024.

Why it matters

The Luna glasses are a direct answer to a reputational problem: Meta's smart glasses gained popularity faster than the social norms and legal rules around them could develop. A camera-free model gives buyers who want an AI assistant on their face an option that does not turn everyone nearby into a potential recording subject, and it could make the product line acceptable in venues and to audiences that currently reject it.

But the report also shows the limits of hardware fixes. Six microphones feeding an always-available assistant raise a different set of questions than a camera with a warning light, and a design deliberately meant to pass as ordinary eyewear may make people less comfortable once they understand what the device can hear. Whether Luna rebuilds trust or simply moves the controversy elsewhere will depend as much on Meta's data practices and communication as on the absence of a lens.