Privacy app NearLens spots smart glasses via Bluetooth signals
A former Microsoft designer built a free iOS app that detects camera-equipped smart glasses nearby. It found 15 devices at an Ottawa hockey arena.
A former Microsoft designer has built a free iPhone app that detects camera-equipped smart glasses nearby, a direct response to the spread of devices like Ray-Ban Meta.
Marcos Rezende, a senior product designer at event platform Hive, launched NearLens in the App Store this month. The app listens for Bluetooth signals associated with smart glasses and logs matches in real time. Rezende told BetaKit the goal is to give users a signal that someone nearby could be recording.
Camera glasses have drawn backlash over privacy concerns, including under Canadian law. Rezende designed NearLens not to access the camera or microphone, identify wearers, or confirm whether the glasses are actively capturing footage. The app runs on-device AI where available and requires no account or backend, he said.
Rezende built the first version in two weeks with 328 software commits, using AI tools. He sees NearLens as a temporary fix until society decides where to allow these devices.
Meta has said daily usage of its smart glasses tripled year over year. CEO Mark Zuckerberg called them one of the fastest-growing categories in consumer electronics. A Business of Fashion-McKinsey report projects sales will quadruple in 2026 as cheaper, sleeker options reach the market.
Rezende tested the app at four Ottawa locations. At TD Place Arena, it detected 15 signals consistent with camera glasses among 7,000 people over three hours. At Meridian Theatres, it returned zero.
NearLens is free and Rezende plans to keep it that way.
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