Some Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses were recording conversations without the wearer knowing and without the prompt phrase "Hey, Meta" being spoken. Meta says the bug is fixed.
Users reported it online this week. One Reddit user, posting as Kindly-Audience-137, said it happened across three pairs of the glasses and that the "Respond without Hey Meta" setting was turned off. They said the Meta AI app saved audio recordings and text transcripts of the conversations in their history.
Meta's full response was brief: "This issue has been resolved. People can manage, review, and delete voice logs of their interactions with Meta AI via settings at any time."
Several questions remain unanswered. Meta has not said what caused it, has not confirmed whether a firmware update triggered it — the Reddit user said they first noticed it after one — and has not said how many devices were affected.
Why it matters
- A microphone that activates without the wake word is the exact failure privacy advocates warned about when these glasses shipped.
- "It is fixed" without a cause means there is no way to know it will not recur.
- If you own a pair, the voice log settings are worth checking now, not later.