# Meta’s AI Glasses Companion App Hides A Complete Face Recognition System > Source: > Published: 2026-06-05 16:32:09+00:00 Meta’s AI glasses companion app carries a dirty little secret: a complete, functional face recognition system that can identify people and store [biometric data](https://gdpr-info.eu/art-4-gdpr/) on your device. The discovery, revealed through [reverse engineering](https://www.buchodi.com/meta-glasses-facial-recognition/) of the [ Meta AI app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.stella) (internally called **Stella**), shows **three specialized machine learning models** working together to detect faces, align them, and generate **2048-dimensional biometric fingerprints**—all while users remain completely unaware. *The hidden infrastructure goes far beyond simple camera autofocus detection.* This isn’t your typical [camera](https://www.gadgetreview.com/best-cameras-you-can-buy-for-every-budget) autofocus detection. The hidden pipeline includes: - An **SQLite vector database** designed for similarity matching **Persistent storage** for unknown faces- A **notification system** that announces “Person recognized” when it finds a match During controlled testing by researchers at **Buchodi**, the system successfully identified a portrait of [ Michel Foucault](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48403588) after pre-loading his biometric data, proving the entire recognition chain works end-to-end. *Meta ships three sophisticated models that rival dedicated surveillance systems.* The technical sophistication rivals dedicated [surveillance app](https://www.gadgetreview.com/us-operatives-built-a-surveillance-app-to-target-alberta-separatists) systems. Meta ships **three ExecuTorch models**: for face detection**SCRFD****KPSAligner** for positioning- A scaled-up **SFace variant** for embedding generation Unknown faces get stored as cropped images plus binary embedding files in a private directory that survives device reboots. Think of it as building a “faces pending identification” database without asking permission first. *User-facing controls remain conspicuously absent despite complete backend infrastructure.* Yet the user interface remains carefully hidden. The companion app contains hardcoded strings for a **“Connections” feature** that promises to “remember the people you met,” but this never appears for regular users. Recognition notifications deep-link to profile screens that don’t exist in the current build. Meta has essentially shipped the surveillance infrastructure while keeping the front door locked. This discovery lands differently than Meta’s previous [face recognition controversies](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/02/seven-billion-reasons-facebook-abandon-its-face-recognition-plans). While the system operates on your device, Meta’s own [transparency disclosures](https://transparency.meta.com/policies/other-policies/pre-disclosure/meta-ai-glasses/) indicate that [AI glasses](https://www.meta.com/help/ai-glasses/268269592726432/) data may still be stored on both local devices and remote servers. With regulators already scrutinizing biometric data collection, shipping dormant face recognition capabilities in consumer [smart glasses](https://www.gadgetreview.com/apple-cooks-up-custom-silicon-smart-glasses-and-ai-chips-signal-techs-next-evolution) raises uncomfortable questions about consent, transparency, and the gap between what companies build versus what they disclose. Your AI glasses just became a lot more interesting—and concerning.