Pawel Szydlowski, a Polish developer, has created a free Bluetooth app that spots Meta smart glasses in a room, and it has already been downloaded thousands of times. The app, known as ZuckOff, was put together by the 30-year-old from Poland, and it relies on a unique digital print for each model to warn users when a pair of smart glasses comes close.
During its first month on the market, ZuckOff drew downloads from more than 5,000 users through Apple’s App Store alone. The figure for the Google Play Store currently sits at 1,000. That total reflects downloads across both platforms, with the Apple figure representing the larger share of the app’s early audience.
How ZuckOff Works
Szydlowski acquired his own equipment to record the Bluetooth signals emitted by several models of smart glasses. He compiled the data that identifies when a unique identifier corresponds with a manufacturer identifier. The app detects models such as Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta and Snap Spectacles in proximity.
No installation is needed on any glasses for the app to function. Instead, it reads the signals that the glasses already send out and checks those against its own database. That means the app works entirely from the user’s side, without requiring any change to the glasses themselves.
The Problem ZuckOff Is Trying to Solve
Smart glasses are raising serious public safety worries, and places such as schools and movie theaters are now banning their use entirely. In January, the BBC looked into the matter and found many accounts that posted videos shot using Meta glasses. One of these accounts put up the face and phone number of a 21-year-old woman, drawing more than 1.3 million views.
A simple piece of tape has shown itself capable of defeating the recording indicator light on these glasses. This development means more users can now record without anyone noticing. The tape blocks the light, which is meant to signal when the camera is active, rendering it useless as a warning.
Meta’s Response So Far
Meta revealed in July that it was pushing an update to identify when an LED light has been “physically tampered with or destroyed” and prevent people from filming with those cameras. In an Instagram video, Meta’s chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, said the camera was built to be noticed by the people around you.
That statement sits awkwardly with one of the product’s key commercial propositions: that the camera doesn’t look like a camera. The update targets physical tampering, but it does not address the broader privacy concerns raised by the glasses’ presence in public spaces.
What ZuckOff Can and Can’t Do
A device called ZuckOff can’t identify a set of glasses within range as being capable of recording audio. It can’t determine who might be wearing those glasses either. What it does offer is an estimate of how close something is, based on signal strength readings.
The app makes an unseen issue partly visible. It alerts users to the presence of smart glasses in the room, so people can see that someone is wearing them. That visibility is the whole purpose of the app, and it is the feature that has drawn users to download it in large numbers.
The Legal Question
Taking down ZuckOff would be hard for Meta to do legally, since the app is not intercepting anything and the signals it reads are legal. The hardware is cheap and simple to copy and paste.
On an iPhone, the core scanning function comes without charge. A paid edition called ZuckOff Pro exists, offering extra tools such as non-stop background checking, widgets, alert notices, a record of past sightings and the ability to save data in CSV form. The paid version extends the app’s capabilities beyond the free version’s basic signal detection.
Numbers Behind the App
- Over 5,000 downloads on Apple’s App Store in launch month
- 1,000 downloads on the Google Play Store as of writing
- Roughly seven million pairs of Meta’s smart glasses sold in 2025
- 1.3 million views on the BBC-traced account that posted a woman’s face and phone number
Those figures give a sense of the scale of the problem ZuckOff is addressing. With roughly seven million pairs of Meta’s smart glasses sold in 2025, there are many devices circulating that could potentially be used for surreptitious recording.
Comparison of Detection Methods
| Method | Detection Type | What It Measures | What It Can’t Do |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZuckOff | Bluetooth fingerprint | Signal strength | Cannot detect recording |
| Meta’s update | Tamper detection | LED light state | Cannot identify wearer |
| Indicator light | Visual | Presence of light | Easily defeated |
The comparison shows where each approach falls short. ZuckOff detects the glasses themselves but not what they are doing. Meta’s update detects tampering but not the person wearing the glasses. The indicator light warns of recording but can be blocked by tape.
The Verdict
ZuckOff uses Bluetooth to turn an already-broadcast signal into a privacy measure. At minimum, it brings something invisible into plain view. Whether that alone stops unsolicited filming remains open.
People can try the app for free, and the download numbers show they are doing so. The legal situation adds an ironic twist: a Polish developer has created a product that Meta cannot remove without altering its own hardware.
The big unknown is what comes after this point: whether Meta will respond to the signals, whether the app keeps changing, or whether lawmakers move ahead with more international action.
The app currently stands as a modest yet serviceable instrument within a swelling discussion about privacy.
See the video the story is built around at WIRED.
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