ZuckOff: Detecting Camera-Enabled Smart Glasses via Bluetooth

ZuckOff is a privacy-focused mobile application designed to alert users when camera-enabled smart glasses are present in their immediate environment. The app functions by listening for Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertisements emitted by wearable hardware, matching them against known manufacturer signatures to identify specific devices.

How ZuckOff Detects Smart Glasses

ZuckOff identifies wearable cameras by monitoring Bluetooth signals and flagging devices that match known hardware signatures. The app does not require an account and processes all data locally on the device.

Supported Hardware Signatures

The app uses a database of manufacturer IDs and Service UUIDs to identify specific brands of smart glasses:

Signal	Identified Hardware
`0x0D53`	Luxottica: Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta
`0x058E`	Meta Platforms Technologies wearable
`0x03C2`	Snap: Spectacles
`0xFD5F`	Service UUID registered to Oculus VR

In addition to these high-confidence signatures, the app can identify devices based on product names such as "Spectacles," "HeyCyan," "VisionPro," and "VistaView," though these are flagged with lower confidence.

Key Features and Functionality

ZuckOff provides several tools for monitoring and logging Bluetooth environments to help users determine if they are being recorded.

Real-time Alerts: The app supports background alerts, Home Screen widgets, and Lock Screen Live Activities for iOS users.
Evidence Logging: Every flag includes the underlying Bluetooth evidence, allowing users to verify the detection. The app also logs all detected Bluetooth devices, regardless of whether they are smart glasses.
Integration: Users can trigger scans via Siri, the Shortcuts app, or custom automations.
Customization: Users who own smart glasses can mark their own devices as "known" to prevent them from triggering alerts.
Data Portability: The complete device log can be exported as a CSV file.

Technical Limitations

Detection is not a guarantee of recording, nor is the absence of a signal a guarantee of privacy. The app's effectiveness depends on the broadcast behavior of the hardware:

Signal Variability: Glasses are most detectable when powering on, pairing, or leaving their charging case. While most devices continue to advertise while worn, some standalone models remain silent.
Directionality: Signal strength (RSSI) provides a rough estimate of distance but does not provide a specific direction to the device.
False Positives/Negatives: A detection indicates the presence of the hardware, not necessarily that the camera is currently active. Conversely, a "quiet" environment does not prove that no recording is taking place.

Community Reception and Alternatives

Following its release, the app received mixed reactions from the technical community on Hacker News, focusing on branding, ethics, and existing alternatives.

Alternative Tools

Users pointed to existing open-source projects and Android applications that perform similar functions, such as yj_nearbyglasses on GitHub and the "Nearby Glasses" app available via the IzzySoft repository.

Critical Perspectives

Some users questioned the "vibecoded" nature of the app, citing the presence of merchandise sales and a UI that appeared to be generated by AI. One commenter noted:

"Not sure why you'd use this sketchy vibecoded proprietary app over the same thing that's open source and existed for a while"

Other discussions centered on the broader societal implications of ubiquitous recording, with some suggesting a "do-not-film-me" Bluetooth standard that would allow phones to send requests to cameras to automatically blur faces in recordings.

Use Case Justification

Despite the privacy concerns, some users defended the use of these devices for specific professional or hobbyist needs, such as recording point-of-view footage for glider flight training where traditional camera mounts are impractical.