The social network formerly known as Facebook has had its first leak — a Meta smartwatch that has yet to be announced was discovered inside one of the company’s apps.

And it’s not just a reference inside the code either. Images of the wearable device were unearthed, showing the notched screen and the teeny little camera that’s supposed to live inside the display.

Social media smartwatches

The image was discovered in the companion app for the Facebook Stories smart glasses, which were made in partnership with Ray-Ban. The discovery was made by a developer called Steve Moser before being shared, first to Bloomberg and then to the rest of the internet.

The image appears to show a detachable strap, and a pair of physical buttons — one on the right-hand side and another, larger button on the top. Perhaps the top button will allow the watch to flip up and make use of a second camera — for posting to Facebook while users wander around filming themselves with the front camera, perhaps. That’s pure speculation, however, based on rumours that there will be two cameras in the final hardware.

Code in the app suggests that the smartwatch, codenamed ‘Milan’, will be able to capture both photos and video before downloading it to a smartphone and then, presumably, uploaded to a Facebook account.

It’s not the first we’ve heard about ~~Facebook’s~~ Meta’s smartwatch — it was rumoured as far back as February this year, where it signalled the company’s return to mass-market tech. Then, in June this year, details turned up regarding the inclusion of the camera (or two) in the smart wristwear. It’s supposed to turn up in an official guise sometime in 2022, but Meta has yet to make it official. Maybe this leak will force totally-not-Facebook’s hand.

Source: Bloomberg