MONDAY, JULY 27, 2026|No. 9077
Technology · Privacy

Apple Delays Smart Glasses Launch to 2027 to Bolster Privacy Features

Apple is delaying its first smart glasses until mid-2027 to integrate stronger privacy safeguards, aiming to differentiate from Meta's controversial models.

Apple is focusing its smart glasses development on privacy to avoid the controversies faced by Meta's wearable cameras.
Apple is focusing its smart glasses development on privacy to avoid the controversies faced by Meta's wearable cameras.
2 sources
Pipeline ingest
3 reads
Positive / Neutral / Negative
1 countries
Related coverage

Can Apple make smart glasses that aren’t a constant privacy threat?

Posted: 2:06 PM PDT · July 26, 2026

  • Anthony Ha

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during the keynote address at an Apple special event on September 09, 2025 in Cupertino, California. Image Credits: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

As Apple prepares to launch its first smart glasses, the company is also wrestling with how to address consumer privacy concerns, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

Gurman reports that Apple has pushed back the launch target from early 2027, with the glasses now set for unveiling at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2027 and actually becoming available by the end of the year. That delay allows Apple to work on the product itself, and on the messaging around privacy.

It sounds like the company has noticed the concerns around Meta’s smart glasses — sometimes decried as “pervert glasses” — being used to make non-consensual video recordings. That could be a bigger issue for Apple, which constantly emphasizes privacy in its marketing.

Among other things, Apple will reportedly try to emphasize privacy-friendly features like on-device processing, as well as the absence of facial recognition. The company will likely steer clear of using customer recordings to train AI models, and it’s unlikely to follow Meta’s reported practice of using contractors to review customer footage.

PAN's pipeline reviewed approximately 2 open sources for this article. No human editor reviewed this article before publication.

Related Reads

Show on timeline →