Products · Product
Google Glass
Raised as a usability problem by 47 people on Hacker News over 14 years (2012–2025), in 40 threads.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads in the last 5 years.
Every issue, all time, most people first
Display tiny and hard to read, with weird controlsUnreviewed
20122026- Display is too small and too high, and the stem trackpad is hard to use2025-05-15
- Manuals are unreadable and hard to navigate on the tiny display2019-05-20
- Display is unreadable and tiny, and the controls are weird to use2014-02-13
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- Display is too small and too high, and the stem trackpad is hard to use2025-05-15
- Must be taken off and charged after 2-3 hours of use2023-06-16
- Device was too unusable for everyday wearers2022-11-06
- Hard to figure out how to choose content without existing connections2021-09-16
- Transparent overlay area blocks clicks to windows underneath it2021-03-21
- The interface was very annoying to use2020-02-04
- Manuals are unreadable and hard to navigate on the tiny display2019-05-20
- Overheats quickly and battery dies fast, making it essentially unusable2017-12-14
- Small barcodes hard or impossible to scan, must be held very close2017-07-18
- Viewing the presented info required looking slightly askew, which felt awkward to the commenter2017-06-22
- Bluetooth keyboards stopped working after updates, and an auto-updater made it hard to stay on older versions2017-06-22
- Hard to use outdoors and nearly unusable while moving in a vehicle2017-03-18
- Interacting with the device was painful, relying on voice2016-11-15
- Only voice input; no way to type with a Bluetooth keyboard2015-12-30
- Update made older 1GB units crash and slow down, with no hardware swap2015-12-29
- Forced Facebook-style timeline is a horrible interface to use2015-02-05
- Extremely hard to set up and use properly, not plug and play2015-01-16
- Display lag makes the overlay confusing, distracting and wrong2015-01-16
- Device is clunky and underdesigned, hard to use well2015-01-15
- Touchpad and voice controls crammed together makes the device awkward to operate2014-11-27
- Bluetooth keyboard pairing no longer works on newer Glass versions and is difficult on older ones2014-11-15
- Forced auto-updates break existing functions and can leave the device unbootable2014-11-14
- Updates break existing functionality, like keyboard support and gestures, and can brick devices2014-11-14
- Glass display is insanely distracting while driving2014-08-05
- Directions display only stays active for a second or two2014-05-22
- Updates removed external keyboard support and gesture navigation for Android apps2014-05-16
- Updates are forced on users and break apps and API compatibility without warning2014-05-08
- Voice input often fails to be recognized in windy conditions2014-04-15
- Purchase Glass button redirects back to the same page, so purchase fails2014-04-15
- Frequently shows no-internet warning and has network lag when using voice2014-03-21
- Display is unreadable and tiny, and the controls are weird to use2014-02-13
- Hard to set up, wouldn't sync or scan wifi, and controls were baffling2014-02-13
- Gestures often not recognised first time, forcing awkward repeated attempts2014-02-13
- Interface is awkward, and saying the wake phrase constantly is annoying2014-01-28
- Wearers get distracted and must take eyes off the road to target the reticle2014-01-17
- Glass reflections at night are distracting, causing headache and nausea after twenty minutes2014-01-17
- Taking and sharing a photo takes many steps through phone, unlike promised quick capture2013-12-03
- Camera is fixed focus, so face recognition only works at unreasonably close range2013-11-25
- Glass screen sits up and to the right, making it hard to view while driving2013-07-01
- Interface is very difficult to use the first time for no clear reason2013-05-30
- Touchpad control feels disconnected because it is indirect, and the interface takes time to learn2013-05-30
- Tapping and swiping the inconsistent touch surface is hard for casual users to get right2013-05-30
- Users can't figure out how to turn it on or what to say2013-05-30
- Display sits a foot away, forcing refocus and making the world blur while using it2013-05-15
- Limited two-way navigation controls make interaction awkward compared to touch screens2013-05-06
- Can't find documentation on camera and geolocation access2013-04-16
- Voice commands pause mid-sentence and get cut off or mixed up2013-03-06
- The UI felt cluttered and disorganized, making the content hard to read2013-03-01
- Only interaction method is voice commands, which is awkward to use2013-02-20
- Speaking commands to a device in public feels awkward and unintuitive2013-02-20