Nearby Glasses is a free, open-source Android tool that scans for Bluetooth signals from smart glasses and alerts you when they may be close by, helping you spot discreet recording eyewear that looks like ordinary frames. Its optional Canary Mode turns the on-screen bird into a visual warning, and you can adjust the detection distance to suit your needs. With 100,000+ downloads and 4.2K in the last 30 days, it is a popular privacy-focused option in the Tools category.
Pros & Cons
Targets smart glasses specifically, a niche that general Bluetooth scanners do not address
Canary Mode offers a discreet visual alert that most competitors lack
Free with no ads and an ignore list to reduce repeat alerts
Competitors more often highlight broader BLE tracker and AirTag-style device detection
Competitors more often advertise signal strength (RSSI) readings and distance estimates for precise locating
Competitors more often cover headphones and earbuds detection, which this app does not mention
About Nearby Glasses
Nearby Glasses is a tools app developed by my PocketPC GmbH.
Download Statistics
Nearby Glasses has been downloaded 210 thousand times. In the last 30 days, the app was downloaded 4.2 thousand times.
User Ratings
Nearby Glasses is rated 3.98 out of 5 stars. The rating is based on 490 ratings.
App Information
Nearby Glasses is freely available from Google Play. The APK size is 1.23 MB. The latest APK version available is 1.0.12. The last update was on October 31, 2026.
Technical Requirements
Nearby Glasses requires Android 12.1+ or higher. The app has a content rating of Everyone. The APK has been available on Google Play since February 2026.
Nearby Glasses is made and published by
my PocketPC GmbH.
AppBrain is an independent app data site and isn't affiliated with my PocketPC GmbH.
The app name, icon, screenshots and description belong to my PocketPC GmbH and are shown as published on Google Play.
Description by my PocketPC GmbH(from Google Play)
Smart glasses are becoming more and more parts of our daily encounters. However, they are often not easy to distinguish from regular eyewear. This app looks for their Bluetooth identification (Company Identifiers in the BTLE advertising frame, ADV_INV). It displays a notification when smart glasses may be nearby (distance may be customised), hence you may act accordingly. In Canary Mode, the bird hides when smart glasses may be nearby. You can switch the mode in the app's settings. Persmissions: The app needs permissions to use Bluetooth and to set Foreground services (if you enable this under settings). Furthermore, for Bluetooth LE, it is mandatory to get permissions for location services. However, app does not record your location at all! you can look into it's source code if you want. It is just a requirement by Android to have location permissions when you deal with BLE device recognition features.
For more details, please see: https://github.com/yjeanrenaud/yj_nearbyglasses
This app is free, open source, does not track you and does not contain ads or other nuisances. May it be useful.
App Icon: The icon is based on Eyeglass icons created by Freepik - Flaticon: https://www.flaticon.com/free-icons/eyeglass License: This app Nearby Glasses is licensed under the AGPL-3.0 license: https://github.com/yjeanrenaud/yj_nearbyglasses/blob/main/LICENSE Canary: The canary drawings are made by me and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. I provided them as raw svg files (done in InkScape) and converted to xml, obviously, for the app's resources
Recent changes: - performance issues fixed - added option to add a device to an IGNORE LIST - added Da Echo smart glasses - notifications (in classic mode and debug mode, not in canary mode) do hold a unique ID now - housekeeping and minor issues
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A god-sent software meant to preserve what little privacy my autistic azz still has. People who put stickers in their smart-glasses should be put in prison for years or be forced to pay multi-millionaire fines!
★★★★☆Ross Morella· Mar 6, 2026
Works great on my pixel 8! I didn't find anything, but at least the formatting issues I saw in other reviews are not a problem!
★★★★★Casey Floren· Mar 9, 2026
It works as described. I would like some sort of acknowledge button or snooze feature. The default time between alerts is 10 seconds. So if someone is next to you and has smart glasses, your phone is going to alert you every 10 seconds. You can manually go in and extend the time between alerts, but a one time acknowledge feature that would pause alerts for that specific device would be great.
★★★★★Brie Kreutzfeldt· Jul 14, 2026
Unsure how to report feedback. Galaxy S23 Ultra. Not clear how the canary changes noticeably. Also, text on main screen cuts off at bottom, and it always says "scanning active" while the bird flips back and forth. You need a more thorough FAQ to explain what the main screen and all the settings are for.
★☆☆☆☆Phil Kraft· Jul 22, 2026
I'm sitting beside my friend who is wearing his Meta glasses and this app did NOT detect them. Yes, foreground services turned on
★☆☆☆☆Michael C· Aug 27, 2026
Doesn't work. Even right next to glasses. Tested filming Take pic also Bluetooth transfers to phone. Not a peep out the bird.
★☆☆☆☆Jeremy Dunworth· Jun 28, 2026
App does not work. Says it needs Bluetooth and location permissions. Gave it those permissions onmy while using app. Did not give notification permissions. Still won't scan. Uninstalling.
Google Play Rankings for Nearby Glasses
This app is not ranked
Technologies used by Nearby Glasses
10 permissions·9 libraries
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Trust & Safety: The app requests Bluetooth and location permissions. Android requires location access for Bluetooth Low Energy scanning, and the developer states that the app does not record your location. Notification and foreground service permissions support alerts and optional background scanning. The app is open source, so its code can be reviewed on GitHub, and the developer states it does not track users or show ads.
Each subscription will automatically renew 3 days before the expiration date for
the same time period. Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time before the renewal.
