Android Authority reports that one owner says three pairs of second- and third-generation glasses saved ordinary conversations without the "Hey Meta" wake phrase. On Oct. 13 Meta told the outlet the issue "has been resolved". Meta's quoted statement does not say what went wrong or how many people were affected.
What owners report
According to Android Authority, the owner posted in two Reddit threads that the recordings appeared in the Meta AI app as saved audio and text transcripts, even with "Respond without Hey Meta" turned off. The owner also says the behaviour began after a recent firmware update.
Gizmodo adds that the thread's author says the white capture light came on during normal speech. In some cases, Gizmodo says, Meta AI did not respond at all. Android Authority says reports remain limited and it has not reproduced the behaviour.
What Meta says
Android Authority quotes Meta as saying: "This issue has been resolved. People can manage, review and delete voice logs of their interactions with Meta AI via settings at any time." Gizmodo says Meta offered little else and that it has asked Meta for comment.
Meta's voice privacy notice says voice interactions include accidental activations. It says text transcripts and related data are stored by default, that you can also choose to store voice recordings, and that when storage is enabled accidental activations are labelled "false wakes" and deleted within 90 days of detection. Other stored voice data is kept for up to one year.
Review and delete your voice log
Meta's help article gives these steps to open the voice activity log:
- In the Meta AI app, tap Glasses (top right), then Device settings.
- Under Glasses, tap your glasses, scroll down and tap Glasses privacy.
- Tap Voice activity log.
The notice says you can view or delete stored voice interactions in the Meta AI app. Meta says deleting a recording and transcript also deletes the data associated with that interaction. The help article adds that the Download Your Information tool exports stored audio and transcripts.
Can you stop the storage?
Meta's notice says you can manage storage of voice interactions in Settings, and that there are two storage settings: one for audio recordings and one for transcripts and related data. It adds that if transcript storage is turned off, you cannot store voice recordings. The notice does not give the menu path or the settings' names.
The notice says that with storage turned off you can still use voice controls. Meta says it then deletes audio recordings and transcripts immediately after processing, does not use them to improve its products, and does not have trained reviewers hear recordings. Anything stored before you turned storage off is kept for up to one year unless you delete it.
Meta's help page says "Respond without Hey Meta" is on by default and can be turned off: Device settings, under Glasses select your glasses, Meta AI, "Hey Meta" preferences, then Respond without "Hey Meta". Android Authority says the owner had it turned off. Its account does not say whether the owner had recording storage turned on.
If you are the bystander
Meta's privacy page says a capture LED blinks when the wearer captures photos or video, and that the camera is disabled if the light is covered. Engadget reported in August that Meta's Alex Himel said the camera now stops if the light is covered mid-recording.
The same page says the glasses are "active on your command only" and tells wearers to turn them off in sensitive spaces such as a doctor's office or locker room. That page does not describe a bystander signal for stored voice audio.
Why it matters
Our assessment: "resolved" without a cause leaves owners unable to tell whether their logs hold accidental audio unless they open them, and Meta's privacy page does not describe a bystander signal for stored voice audio. Owners can review the log now and delete entries they did not intend to store.
Android Authority says the reports involve second- and third-generation glasses, not the camera-free Ray-Ban Meta Audio we covered earlier.
