Meta smart glasses were the best tech I took on my honeymoon, but privacy concerns kept them from being as frictionless as I wished they could be

Date:
Tue, 28 Jul 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Description:
Despite rising hate for Metas AI glasses, my wife wouldnt take her smart Oakley HSTNs off during our honeymoon.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Its probably fair to say Meta
is facing serious public backlash to its AI glasses.

Musician Lorde took time at a recent concert to tell her audience, Dont get the glasses, many online are branding them pervert glasses, and activist
group Everyone Hates Elon has put up spoof adverts for the glasses featuring Jeffrey Epstein wearing a pair (note: the story behind a paywall). I myself have been unsure if Ill keep using my Meta glasses , despite their utility making them one of my favorite gadgets Ive tested while working at TechRadar. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

Meta has rebutted with new measures to combat misuse of its glasses. It recently patched its specs to prevent modders from using the camera despite disabling the recording light , and Instagram head Adam Mosseri recently announced harassment videos shot using Meta glasses will be banned from the platform with some high-profile accounts already getting the boot. Among the folks still in love with the Meta glasses, however, is my wife Izzy. You may like Meta just fixed a big privacy vulnerability with its Ray-Ban smart glasses The smart glasses backlash hits new heights as celebs and activists unite We got a first look at Samsung Intelligent Eyewear, the smart glasses entering a fraught market worried about privacy

When I suggested taking a pair each with us on our recent honeymoon to Tenerife, she wasnt convinced despite them being our only sunglasses without my prescription lenses in them but she wore the white-and-gold Oakley HSTN specs nearly all the time we were abroad.

I was also testing out a pair of the Ray-Ban Meta Optics styles for an upcoming review, and time and again the glasses proved themselves useful. Our trip confirmed how awesome these glasses can be when used right, and why a middle ground needs to be found to maximize privacy and utility before things get out of hand. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. An all-in-one AI supertool Of course, the primary reason to rely on Meta glasses is their built-in tech.

Whether we were lounging on a sunbed, strolling through the streets and past the beaches of Los Cristianos, or kicking back with a drink in the evening,
we both loved the open-ear speakers that let us enjoy our podcast or playlist of choice without tuning out the world.

For hours on end, I enjoyed Radio 1 through BBC Sounds, while Izzy drifted between Spotify hits, and both pairs lasted a good length of time
battery-wise with touch controls making it super simple to control the tunes when needed. What to read next Metas super-sensing AI glasses edge one step closer to reality 48 hours with the MemoMind On: no camera and slow AI left
me wanting more Modders are disabling the Meta Ray-Bans most important safety feature Izzy looking cool (Taken with my Meta Optics glasses) (Image credit: Future / Hamish Hector) The AI translations came in clutch several times as well. It offered quick advice on what phrases to use when we realized our limited selection of Hola, Gracias, and Por favor wouldnt cut the mustard.

Meanwhile, Look and Ask helped Izzy decipher which of the unrecognizable shampoos and conditioners would be best for her hair after a travel mishap
saw the supply we packed leak into her travel bag. The AI could read the Spanish labels to her to help identify and filter out ingredients she knows
to avoid, and we ended up buying a few extra bottles of the conditioner she found to bring home after she fell in love with it.

It can't be understated how useful the smart specs are simply as sunglasses too.

My Optics pair features Transitions XTRActive lenses, transitioning fast from clear to shaded as I moved between indoor and outdoor spaces, which was super handy for someone like me who wears glasses all the time. Meanwhile, the polarized gold HSTN lenses were perfect for Izzy as she spent hours of her
day baking in high-UV weather.

Thanks to the charging case, my specs rarely ran out of battery, but even
when they did, I could still rely on them just fine as stylish shades. (Image credit: Oakley / Meta) Of course, the controversial aspect is the camera. Beyond the AI assistance, it was helpful for snapping quick photos and first-person clips for the travel vlog Im looking to cut together.

Though whenever I went to snap a photo, I had flashes of the story about Meta contractors who claimed to have seen intimate moments captured through the specs . Shots of either of us in swimwear went nowhere near the glasses snapper, and I kept a careful eye on who was in the background of any shots I did take.

We were also a little worried that someone might not like us using the
glasses at all in their presence, though thankfully no one took any issue
with us.

These fears and considerations do create points of friction when it comes to using Metas glassesor any smart glasses, for that matter. While the Facebook company is the best-known for smart eyewear right now it is far from alone, and while it's making efforts to clean up its public perception smart glasses will be tarred with the same brush if any brand steps out of line.

I also dont think Metas efforts are perfect so far, at least not yet. Id like to see more work across social and hardware platforms to root out smart glasses misuse; I believe better, more thorough privacy rules are necessary
to make it crystal clear what data is and isnt shared with Meta and its
staff, and Im not convinced I could trust it with the immense amount of data its rumored super sense feature would capture from my daily life blunders like its Instagram AI image use plan and backtrack dont fill me with confidence in its AI decision making.

At the same time, my week falling back in love with the Meta glasses, and my wife loving her Oakley smart specs, proves theres something really fun and useful about the tech that I equally dont want to see taken away or banned outright. (Image credit: Future / Hamish Hector) With other brands joining in on intelligent eyewear recently Samsung demonstrated its own pairs at Galaxy Unpacked its clear the tech industry is storming ahead, just as it has with exciting emerging technologies in the past.

I just hope a middle ground can be found, because smart specs represent a serious privacy nightmare beyond other gadgets weve relied on. If the tech doesnt hold itself to account, we could see even more regulation and public backlash than weve seen already, and that could kill off my favorite tech sector of recent years before it has a chance to thrive. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Today's best Oakley Meta HSTN deals 389 View Deal voucher gift 389 View Deal voucher gift 399 View Deal Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices



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