Meta wants you to trust its camera glasses again. The company was recently granted a patent on building a hardware kill switch for the sensors on its Ray-Ban smart glasses. Let’s hope that it comes sooner and fixes some of that “creepy glasses” reputation for Meta. On the more fun side of things, GTA VI will keep you busy over the weekend with a longer playtime and loads of character-driven flexibility. On the sadder side of things, Apple TV is getting more expensive. And no, if you think the bundled Apple TV trick is going to work, well, I got some bad news for you. Sigh!

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Meta has been granted a patent for what amounts to a kill switch for its Ray-Ban smart glasses, a hardware-enforced system capable of shutting down one or more sensors on demand. The patent Meta filed in February and granted last week, describes "secure hardware-enforced sensor privacy systems" and a "mute or lock" mechanism for augmented reality devices. Several illustrations in the filing closely resemble Meta's existing smart glasses lineup, making it difficult to read the move as anything other than a direct response to the mounting privacy controversy surrounding the product. That controversy has been considerable.

The glasses, built to be visually indistinguishable from ordinary Ray-Bans, have been exploited by juvenile pranksters, earning them the nickname "pervert glasses" and prompting many owners to simply stop wearing them in public. The situation worsened earlier this year when Swedish newspapers revealed that Meta contractors in Nairobi were reviewing sensitive data recorded by the glasses, a joint investigation that amplified an already heated debate about the product's surveillance potential. For context, the patent was filed just three weeks before that investigation was published. Whether the kill switch becomes a real and enforceable solution remains to be seen. A hardware-level fix could prove more robust, but the patent's broad and vague language leaves many questions about implementation unanswered.

Grand Theft Auto VI is shaping up to be a serious time commitment. In a New York Times interview, Rockstar Games co-studio head Rob Nelson described the upcoming title as "very, very immersive and lengthy," noting that his own playthrough, covering the main story alongside some optional objectives, clocked in at around 80 hours. That figure puts GTA VI well ahead of its predecessor: HowLongToBeat data places the average main story and side content completion time for Grand Theft Auto V at roughly 51.5 hours. The 80-hour estimate is not a hard requirement for reaching the credits.

Nelson's number reflects a playthrough that includes optional goals, meaning players who stay focused on the main campaign could finish in considerably less time, while those who prefer to explore every corner of the fictional US state of Leonida, following protagonists Jason and Lucia, will have plenty more to occupy them. Rockstar has also released an extended 27-minute preview of the game's world, characters, and activities, reinforcing the sense that the studio is building something designed to absorb players for months. GTA VI is scheduled to launch on November 19 at a price of $80, and between that runtime, that price tag, and the sheer scale Rockstar appears to be targeting, it may well be one of the year's biggest time investments alongside its status as one of its most anticipated releases.

Apple TV+ is raising its monthly subscription price to $14.99 in the United States, up from $12.99, with the annual plan climbing from $99 to $119. The increase takes effect Friday, August 28, for both new and existing subscribers, with Apple promising to notify current members roughly a month before they are charged the higher rate. It marks the fourth price hike in four years for the service, meaning the monthly cost has now tripled since its 2019 launch price of $4.99. The move fits a broader pattern across the streaming industry, with Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, YouTube Premium, and Peacock all raising rates in recent years, and ESPN set to follow on September 17.

Apple is also nudging up the individual tier of its Apple One bundle, which packages Apple TV+, Apple Music, iCloud+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and Apple Fitness+, from $19.95 to $21.95 per month. The company can point to a considerably larger library than it had at launch, now topping 300 original titles including "Ted Lasso," "Severance," "The Morning Show," "Shrinking," and the Oscar-winning film "CODA," along with live sports coverage spanning Formula 1, Major League Baseball, and Major League Soccer. With the price of Apple TV+ now firmly in the mid-tier range once occupied by more established rivals, subscribers will be weighing a catalog that has grown substantially against a bill that has done the same.

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