Why were Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses recording audio without the wearer knowing, and how do you check yours?

Ars Technica reports that some Ray-Ban Meta glasses recorded conversations without the 'Hey Meta' wake phrase — even with hands-free responding off — and saved the audio and transcripts to the owner's app. Meta says the issue is resolved; here is how to check your own pair.

Smart glasses are only welcome in everyday life if everyone can trust one simple rule: they record when you ask, and only then. Short answer: Ars Technica reported on October 16, 2026 that a bug in Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses did exactly what owners feared — the glasses captured audio during ordinary conversation without the “Hey Meta” wake phrase, even on pairs where the “respond without Hey Meta” setting was turned off, and the recordings and transcripts were saved to the owner’s Meta AI app. Why it matters: these glasses are worn in kitchens, offices and cafés, pointed at people who never agreed to be recorded.

One owner reported the problem on three pairs — second- and third-generation models — appearing after a firmware update, with the recording indicator light sometimes glowing during normal conversation. Meta told Ars Technica, “This issue has been resolved,” but gave no cause and no count of how many wearers were affected, so the sensible move is to check your own glasses rather than take the all-clear on faith.1. Watch the indicator light.

If it lights up while nobody is using the glasses, treat that as a recording until you have checked the app.2. Review your stored voice logs. Open the Meta AI app and look through the saved recordings and transcripts.

Anything there that you do not remember asking for should not be there.3. Delete what should not exist. Meta says wearers can review and delete stored voice recordings in settings — clear out anything captured by mistake.4.

Turn off hands-free responding. Make sure “Respond without Hey Meta” is off, so the glasses only listen after the wake phrase.5. Install updates promptly.

If the bug arrived with one firmware update, the fix travels the same road — keep the glasses and the app current.Common mistake: Assuming the glasses themselves are the whole story. The recordings live in the app account, so checking the frames but never the app’s voice log misses exactly where the evidence piles up.Ad’s take: Wearable cameras and microphones run on trust, and trust is the one feature no update can patch back in. Check your logs today — it takes two minutes.