An iPhone app built to warn people when camera-equipped smart glasses are nearby has climbed to No. 3 on the US paid App Store chart. The $2.99 AntiZuck Smart Glasses Scanner scans for Bluetooth signals broadcast by popular smart eyewear and alerts users when it believes a pair is close.

The app detects Meta Ray-Bans, Snap Spectacles, Amazon Echo Frames, and RayNeo glasses. Detected devices appear on a radar-style screen with a rough proximity estimate and a confidence rating. It remembers repeat sightings, can push local notifications, and lets users mark familiar devices so they stop triggering alerts.

The scanner has limits. It cannot tell whether someone is recording or taking a photo, and it only picks up Bluetooth broadcasts during actions like powering on, pairing, or opening a charging case. Other Meta hardware, including Quest headsets, can also set it off, and glasses disappear from the radar once they stop advertising.

Its rise taps into growing anxiety about being filmed in public, especially among younger people. A recent BBC report found some young adults are increasingly wary of cameras on nights out, while a YouGov survey says 54% of Americans consider filming and sharing strangers without consent usually or always unacceptable. Smart glasses are harder to spot than a raised phone, which is why the possibility of a discreet camera nearby is enough to unsettle people.

The app’s name leaves little doubt about how its developer views Meta’s camera-equipped glasses. For now, the scanner’s popularity shows that even the possibility of a discreet camera nearby can be enough to make people reach for their wallets.

Source: Digital Trends