Meta patches smart glasses to halt recording if LED covered

Meta will push a firmware update that stops its smart glasses from recording video if the capture LED is covered mid-session, closing a workaround that had let wearers keep filming after hiding the indicator. AR VP Alex Himel announced the change on Threads, according to Engadget.

"The camera won't start recording if the LED is blocked, but some people try to bypass this by starting a recording and then covering it up," Himel wrote. He said Meta will "keep rolling out updates like this to make sure the capture LED can reliably alert bystanders."

It is the second privacy-focused update in under two months. The earlier one disabled the cameras when the LED was physically damaged. Meta is pairing the software fix with an "education and awareness campaign," including billboards in Los Angeles and other cities that direct viewers to a privacy page explaining what the light means.

The patch lands after a run of coverage we have tracked on the same product, including teen boys using Ray-Ban Metas to film girls in US schools and ICE barring agents from wearing the glasses on duty.