Warby Parker and Gentle Monster open smart glasses preorders

Warby Parker and Gentle Monster opened preorders for smart glasses using Google’s Android XR platform on 12 November. The glasses have no built-in display and work with Android phones and iPhones, with the same features on both, Engadget said. Official sales are scheduled to begin on 10 December.

Google supplies the operating system, while Samsung handles much of the technology, including cameras, microphones and touch sensors. Warby Parker and Gentle Monster design the glasses and lenses and handle sales and customer support.

Recording and privacy protections

A light on the frame indicates when a wearer takes a photo or records video. Google says sensors detect if the light is covered or tampered with and prevent capture. Google XR lead Juston Payne called the methods effective, but their effectiveness has not been independently verified. He acknowledged that people will find ways around protections and said Google will try to fix those holes.

Google says its Gemini superintelligence (SI) assistant can use the camera to respond to what the wearer sees. The company says those visuals are not stored in Gemini history, and the glasses are designed to obscure bystanders’ faces before Gemini processes them. Google says the camera stream will not be used to train SI or target ads, and data sent off the glasses for processing is encrypted in transit.

Google says its Play Store and developer policies prohibit apps from using the camera for social livestreaming or real-time facial identification, or from changing how the outer indicator light works. The livestreaming restriction also applies to YouTube. Users must grant individual apps camera access and can revoke it; Google says they can also delete Gemini chats and choose whether conversations are used to train SI.