Aside from native spatial apps, Vision Pro will have access to over a million iPhone and iPad apps running in compatibility mode on visionOS.
By comparison, the App Store debuted in 2008 with a catalog of 500 native iPhone apps and games. Native Vision Pro apps take full advantage of Apple’s spatial computing platform’s capabilities.
visionOS can also run many of the existing iPhone and iPad apps that don’t require unique interaction methods or features that would be clunky to emulate on visionOS.
Developers who don’t want to make their iOS and iPadOS apps available on Vision Pro can opt out, and some of them have done exactly that, like Spotify and Netflix.
Vision Pro launching with 600 native apps on the App Store
The announcement in the Apple Newsroom reaffirms the entertainment aspect of Vision Pro thanks to native streaming apps like Max, Disney+ and Apple TV, which includes more than 200 3D titles and Apple Immersive Videos (180-degree, 8K 3D recordings captured with spatial audio).
The Max app features the Iron Throne Room VR environment. “The intricate Targaryen-era adornments will make fans feel like they’re watching the programming available on Max in Westeros during the height of their reign,” it reads.
IMAX also has a native app that brings 2D and 3D content, featuring popular documentaries such as Deep Sky in IMAX’s expanded aspect ratio.
Netflix isn’t available on Vision Pro, but Apple says streaming services without visionOS apps can be enjoyed in a browser.
“While native apps deliver experiences that take full advantage of the capabilities of spatial computing, Apple Vision Pro users can also enjoy their favorite video and music streaming services in Safari, including the ability to open multiple windows, go full screen, listen with spatial audio, and launch an Environment for an entertainment experience unlike any other,” the company explains.
Sports apps
Sports fans won’t be disappointed either. PGA TOUR Vision, in Apple’s words, “uses real-time shot tracking layered on top of 3D models of real golf courses alongside key stats—including leaderboards, scorecards, schedules, course information, and other tournament details—to bring the tour to life in a user’s space.”
The NBA’s Vision Pro app supports five streams, while the MLB immerses you in a ballpark with a view from home plate and stats from each pitch. Red Bull TV displays 3D maps of races paired with high-quality video and immersive environments.
Productivity apps
Videoconferencing apps Webex, Zoom and Microsoft Teams are available natively on visionOS, supporting Apple’s Persona feature.
Featured native productivity apps include Box, MindNode, OmniFocus, OmniPlan, Microsoft 365 apps, Fantastical, JigSpace, Navi and Numerics. The latter provides enterprise users with live widgets supporting more than 4,000 KPIs. Major productivity apps like Slack, Notion and Todoist currently lack native visionOS versions so they run in compatibility mode.
Productivity is among the use cases for the headset, but you’ll want to connect a physical keyboard for many of those. Any Bluetooth keyboard or trackpad can be paired with Vision Pro, including Apple’s Magic Keyboard and Trackpad.
When the Mac Virtual Display features is used, the Mac’s keyboard and mouse are automatically available on Vision Pro.
Spatial gaming
Spatial games available for the headset at launch include Loóna (3D dioramas), Blackbox (puzzles that float in your world), Void-X (retro arcade shooter featuring eye and hand gameplay) and Skatrix Pro (physics-driven skateboarding coupled with a 3D hand gesture joystick).
Vision Pro also runs the more than 250 existing Apple Arcade titles. Some of those have been updated with support for spatial experiences, like Synth Riders, LEGO Builder’s Journey, Halfback’s Jetpack Joyride 2 and Super Fruit Ninja (you chop veggies with your hands), Game Room, WHAT THE GOLF?, Cut the Rope 3, Bloons TD 6+, stitch., Patterned, Illustrated and Wylde Flowers.
Vision Pro supports game controllers, including Sony’s PlayStation DualSense and Sony’s Xbox Wireless Controller.
Mindfulness and home improvement
Feature mindfulness apps from third-party developers that run natively on Visio Pro include Helium, Lungy: Spaces, Odio and Endel; shopping apps like J.Crew Virtual Closet, Mytheresa: Luxury Experience and Decathlon; existing music and concerts apps optimized for spatial computing, including Algoriddim’s djay, NowPlaying, STAGE+, Spool, Animoog Galaxy and tappr.tv.
There are also home improvement apps that take advantage of spatial computing, like Lowe’s Style Studio, Wayfair Decorify, and Zillow Immerse. Strangely, IKEA would be a natural choice for Vision Pro, but the Swedish furniture giant doesn’t offer a visionOS version of its app.
Other native apps
Apps like Hold the World and The Archive let you discover places in new ways. And with the Voyager by ForeFlight app, Vision Pro users can immerse themselves in a real-time aviation environment and view airports in 3D from any angle. Other native apps Apple mentions include solAR, Sky Guide, Night Sky, Insight Heart, CellWalk, Complete HeartX.
Vision Pro is arriving on Friday, February 2. The headset will be available across Apple’s physical and online retail stores in the United States. Vision Pro will come in other countries later this year, and Apple will announce pricing and other terms for each new country in due time.
Native apps vs. compatible apps
The visionOS operating system distinguishes native apps from existing iOS and iPadOS apps capable of running on Vision Pro. Native apps have circular icons, while compatible iPhone and iPad apps display squircle-shaped icons on the Home Screen. Moreover, compatible iPhone and iPad apps downloaded to the device are in a “Compatible Apps” folder.
As we noted before, the headset comes preinstalled with 17 native apps like Safari, Mail, FaceTime, and others. But Apple hasn’t optimized all of its stock apps for visionOS yet, so apps like Books, Calendar, Home, Maps, News, Podcasts, Reminders, Shortcuts, Stocks and Voice Memos are iPad apps that run in compatibility mode.
While compatible apps run in a window within your space, native apps feature a three-dimensional user interface optimized for eye and hand tracking, fully immersing you in the experience.