Ever wish your digital ad blocker could work offline too? This in-development AR glasses software could do just that, and it could be one of the first apps I download when I get a pair.
AR glasses – be they from Snap, Meta, Google and its Android XR partners, or one of the other brands pursuing this field – are increasingly looking like they’ll be the next big thing in tech, but one fear I’ve heard from some is they’ll give our tech a new avenue for blasting ads in front of our faces.
We’ll be bombarded by inescapable banners and pop-ups – a frustrating experience which sounds like prime material for a Futurama episode.
Thankfully, one AR software developer has created a tool that goes in the opposite direction by blocking adverts wherever they appear.
🚫🕶️ I’ve been building an XR app for a real-world ad blocker using Snap @Spectacles. It uses Gemini to detect and block ads in the environment.It’s still early and experimental, but it’s exciting to imagine a future where you control the physical content you see. pic.twitter.com/ySkFfF6rxSJune 19, 2025
Stijn Spanhove took to social media to show off an “early and experimental” build of the app, but even at this early stage, it already offers some impressive features.
As you’d expect, when switched on, the app can obscure large sign ads, covering them up with a red blocker and a brief description of what’s underneath, such as “Bol. billboard” – but it can also hide adverts in newspapers, and logos on soda cans and cereal boxes.
For now, however, the blocker isn’t perfect.
I’d argue the big red blocker is more distracting than an advertisement, and it can take a moment to appear, though there is some great spatial awareness as the blocker does a good job of floating in place as the AR glasses wearer moves their head around.
That said, with AR glasses still some time away from their consumer debut, there’s plenty of time for these kinks to be worked out.
As Spanhove highlighted, AR glasses will enable us to control the content we see in both the digital and virtual world, and while it’s reasonable to be concerned about how this feature could be abused, it’s always nice to be reminded that plenty of app makers will be responsible with the power AR unlocks.
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