Meta Connect 2026 is right around the corner. Like other annual tech events, such as Made by Google or Apple’s fall event, Connect is Meta’s chance to showcase the hardware and AI tools it plans to launch over the next year. The company may have started as a single social media platform, but it now dominates or competes in multiple tech fields, including virtual reality headsets, LLMs, and, as of late, personal AI agents, thanks to the introduction of Muse AI. Here’s what I’m expecting to see at Meta Connect 2026.
Could Meta’s new smart glasses be more privacy-friendly?
While the company will undoubtedly announce new AI developments this week, Meta Connect 2026 will likely also make headlines for its hardware division. Meta is well known (perhaps infamous) for its smart glasses, so it only makes sense that the company would make relevant announcements during a major tech event. But the most newsworthy moment of all might not be an “advancement,” so much as a refinement.
As PCMag reports, Meta is planning to announce camera-free smart glasses at Connect 2026. These glasses, codenamed “Luna,” would rely on an array of six microphones rather than cameras to power AI features. That way, you could still ask Meta AI questions or give commands to Muse AI, without the need for cameras to tap into the world around you.
Meta’s most popular smart glasses currently come with embedded cameras, so why the change? It’s probably not to offer users a “budget” smart glasses option. Instead, it’s more likely that Meta is responding to growing backlash over its current camera-enabled smart glasses. It turns out that, as popular as these glasses are, a lot of people don’t like the idea of being stealthily recorded anywhere they go. The problem was made worse by an underground industry of hackers aiming to disable the recording light on Meta smart glasses, making it even harder to know whether someone was sneakily filming you.
To its credit, Meta has already responded to these “critiques.” The company reportedly patched the exploit hackers were taking advantage of, so users shouldn’t be able to bypass the recording light any longer: If the LED is blocked, Meta smart glasses are now supposed to disable video recording. Introducing camera-free smart glasses may be another step in that direction, but that won’t change the fact that camera-embedded smart glasses are still readily accessible and easy to miss in passing. While there are steps individuals can take to protect their privacy in the face of these cameras, it’s really an uphill battle.
It’s not just smart glasses giving Meta PR trouble. The company recently settled a massive lawsuit for nearly $18 billion, ending legal action from most of the states. The lawsuit alleged that Meta’s platforms were harmful and addictive to children and teens, and in addition to financial compensation, Meta is now changing its rules for underage users on its platforms. That comes just ahead of the release of The Social Reckoning, a movie dramatizing Meta whistleblower Frances Haugen’s revelations about the company in The Wall Street Journal’s “The Facebook Files” investigation. Meta also recently backtracked on an Instagram feature that let anyone generate AI images from your public photos. Meta Connect 2026 could be a bit of a reset for Meta in a rather unforgiving environment.
Meta could finally announce its “Phoenix” mixed reality “glasses”
Meta could also take the opportunity to announce its long-rumored “Phoenix” mixed reality “glasses.” Why the quotes? If rumors are to be believed, this device will be more of a headset than Meta’s current smart glasses offerings, employing a goggles-like design, or perhaps something that looks like a “bulky pair of glasses.”
That said, the expectation is that Phoenix will be more portable and practical than Meta Quest, the company’s VR headset. Phoenix may use an external “compute puck” to handle advanced processes, which would allow the headset to be lighter than it otherwise might be. All the while, it could run HorizonOS, the same operating system Meta Quest headsets run. You might get the best of both worlds: A high-quality mixed reality experience without the need for a bulky headset.
Meta may announce AI news and updates
As much as Meta Connect will likely focus on hardware, AI will also probably take up much of the presentation. Expect more updates about Muse AI, the company’s new AI agent that can perform tasks on your behalf—even if Meta simply takes the opportunity to promote the feature. Meta may also announce a new version of Llama, the company’s flagship AI model, which hasn’t been updated since April of 2025, though I haven’t seen any rumors about this specifically.
How to watch Meta Connect 2026
Meta Connect 2026 spans two days: Sept. 23 and Sept. 24. The keynote itself, however, is on the first day: Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET). You should be able to access the livestream from Meta Connect’s official site, though the stream isn’t accessible at this time. (Meta has an option to “register” for the livestream, but it seems designed to send you an alert when the livestream is available.)