Apple Glasses: Data privacy becomes the biggest hurdle before launch

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Not a single pair of Apple glasses has been sold yet, and the product is already under suspicion. Camera glasses have developed a reputation over the past two years that Apple didn't create itself, but will inherit. In Europe, this sentiment is compounded by regulations that shift the question from trust to the legal situation.

There's still time before the market launch, but less than the timeline suggests. According to current rumors about Apple Glasses, Apple has been working on a pair of glasses for years, whose biggest problem now lies less in the technology and more in perception. Bloomberg describes in the latest edition of its Power On newsletter how much Apple is concerned about data privacy – and that both development and marketing are working on it.

Two dates for 2027

The first Apple glasses are reportedly to be unveiled at WWDC 2027, with sales starting at the end of the year. The gap between the two dates is intentional: developers will have several months to build apps before the hardware hits the market.

This confirms the previously mentioned timeframe, according to which the market launch will not take place until the end of 2027. Ironically, one reason for the long development time is said to be concerns about the company's own data privacy image.

What Apple wants to do differently

According to the report, the planned differentiations from the competition are largely finalized. Processing will primarily take place on the device – the same principle Apple already uses for its Apple Intelligence privacy mechanisms. There will be no facial recognition, nor will there be an equivalent to the always-on recognition mode offered by Meta.

In addition, there are two commitments that address specific criticisms of the competition: recordings will not be used to train AI models, and external service providers will not be given access to the material for review. Apple is also working on hardware and software security features, details of which are not yet available. A warning light that switches off when tampering is detected is already standard on Meta devices (via Bloomberg).

The version without any camera

It remains to be seen whether the first generation will even be able to film. Apple is said to have already built a prototype version without a camera, offering AI functions, telephony, and audio without visual capture.

A middle ground is also being discussed: cameras whose images are exclusively analyzed by AI to recognize objects and describe the environment – without allowing for photography or video recording. The same logic underlies the AirPods with integrated cameras that Apple is working on in parallel. For the glasses themselves, two cameras for gesture control were recently under consideration.

In Europe, this is not a question of trust

What is described as a matter of public sentiment in the US is already a formal legal process in Germany and Austria. The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information has been examining Meta's Ray-Ban glasses for compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) since summer 2025; the Irish Data Protection Commission is the lead agency due to Meta's European headquarters. The German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection maintains a dedicated information page on these glasses.

Legally, the problem begins earlier than in the US. According to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), even the recording of a recognizable person constitutes the processing of personal data, regardless of whether it is stored. Furthermore, the right to one's own image under Section 22 of the German Copyright Act prohibits the publication of such recordings without consent. Obtaining effective consent from passersby is considered practically impossible when using camera glasses.

The question remains open at the European level as well. Members of the European Parliament called on the Commission in March 2026 to clarify how the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the AI Act apply to AI-enabled glasses; Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath referred the matter to national authorities and courts. The European Data Protection Board has announced its own report on this device category for this summer. These regulations do not apply to Switzerland, which has its own data protection law.

The deadline puts additional pressure on Apple

A second set of regulations affects eyeglasses independently of data protection. From February 18, 2027, batteries in many devices sold in the EU must be removable and replaceable by the user. The battery regulation explicitly covers wearables such as eyeglasses, smartwatches, and headphones.

The deadline falls before the planned launch of Apple Glasses. The competitive landscape illustrates the severity of this requirement: Meta's Ray-Ban Display isn't even offered in the European Union – the company cites battery and AI requirements as the reason, in addition to supply bottlenecks. The US ambassador to the EU publicly addressed the lack of availability in March. Since then, Meta has been negotiating an exemption that would apply to glasses from all manufacturers.

This approach isn't new for Apple. The Apple Watch was exempted from the replaceable battery requirement because the regulation allows exceptions for certain device types. Whether eyeglasses fall under the same argument is unclear and will likely influence the scope of a European market launch.

How much leeway remains until 2027

Apple has one year of development time to answer both questions – the one about trust and the one about regulatory approval. The two are interconnected: Glasses without a camera circumvent much of the data privacy debate, but in doing so, they lose precisely the features that drive sales for competitors. The latest iteration of the Vision Roadmap leaves both paths open. (Image: Shutterstock / TannySolt)