A timing issue let users start video, then block the front-facing recording LED and keep filming. Meta says an update rolling out will stop the camera if the LED is covered during recording.
A software timing check only ran when recording started, so users could begin filming and then cover the LED to hide the recording.
Meta is rolling out an update that stops the camera if the capture LED is covered while recording.
This follows at least one earlier update that disabled recording when users physically removed or drilled out the LED.
Meta's got a fix for clever smart glasses recording LED hack Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Wearables and health Meta fixes distressingly obvious smart glasses recording LED loophole You won't believe how easy it was to bypass Meta privacy protections. It turns out this check was only performed when recordings were initiated, and users could just start filming and cover the LED afterwards.
Just like Sony pirates who would swap in that CD-R a moment later, owners could block the LED after initiating the recording, without any problems. Even though we all carry around phones capable of sneakily recording videos, some folks are just really upset about the idea that someone could film them with smart glasses, and they'd never know it. Responding to that pressure, manufacturers like Meta have been building their glasses with conspicuous recording LEDs, broadcasting to anyone nearby that they're actively recording.
By Stephen Schenck • Aug 27, 2026 — 4:57 PM ET • 0 • C. Scott Brown / Android Authority Add Android Authority on Google: Meta is currently rolling out a fix to correct this behavior.
Meta has updated its smart glasses so the camera stops when someone covers the recording light, the second such fix in two months, and is running an ad campaign explaining what the LED means. European regulators have said the problem is not the light but the absence of any lawful basis for filming bystanders. Meta […]
Meta is updating its AI-powered smart glasses to close a loophole that allowed wearers to keep recording after covering the front-facing LED. Alex Himel, Meta's vice president of augmented reality, writes in a post on Threads that "the camera will now stop working if the light is covered during a recording." The compan
It's the second update in less than two months to address privacy concerns.
Meta is updating its AI smart glasses after users bypassed the recording light safeguard to film people without consent. The move addresses one privacy gap, but criticism over misuse and user safety continues.
Meta just closed another loophole for secret recording on its AI glasses.
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