Adaptation of apps for Vision Pro in 2024

Last year, following the announcement of Apple Vision Pro in summer 2023, we had a four-part series on the topic. Now that the new tech has finally reached the market, we decided to revisit the Vision Pro and talk about how all sorts of applications are now being adapted for it and what to do if you want to do it too.

A day before the Apple Vision release date, Apple announced more than 600 new apps built for their new spatial tech. Users can enjoy turning their living spaces into immersive environments for watching sports and movies or explore new ways to collaborate and create digital content.

Today, we’ll discuss what kinds of apps are available, what early adopters are doing, and whether or not you can be one of them.

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Current Apple Vision Pro apps

In 2024, Apple finally launched Vision Pro, an augmented reality headset that offers endless visual space and a three-dimensional way to interact with it, using eye movements, hand gestures, and voice commands. 

Vision Pro can turn any room into a cinema for watching sports, TV, and movies and opens up new ways for people to work together and be creative. Apple Vision mission right now is to inspire developers around the world to create AR experiences that go beyond the limits of traditional screens.

Productivity and collaboration tools

Slack, Notion, Todoist, and Microsoft Office Suite are now part of the Vision Pro app collection, showing a smooth shift of everyday work activities into a spatial computing setting. 

This integration seems to make the most of the device's vast workspace and spatial interfaces, making it easier for users to handle tasks, projects, and communications in a more engaging and intuitive manner than on traditional flat screens. 

The apps have also been enhanced for Apple Vision Pro features, which may include alerts in 3D space, visualizing data in three dimensions, and interacting with information through gestures, eye tracking, or voice commands.

Webex, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams are now going to have meeting experiences that are more engaging and interactive. 

Being able to work with multiple windows and shared content in the space around you definitely advances how online meetings are held, making them feel more like being there in person. This change could even boost attention and productivity in remote work.

The unmatched level of immersion in online meetings might involve spatial sound for more lifelike conversations, the option to "place" participants in the room with you, and improved sharing of content where files and presentations are interactive, three-dimensional objects.

Entertainment and gaming

Gaming and watching sports, listening to music, and viewing videos also got much more interesting. 

Players will find games like NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition and other immersive experiences on Apple Arcade and the App Store. For sports fans, apps like Red Bull TV have been updated to offer unique experiences on Vision Pro, including immersive 3D race maps. 

TikTok and Apple Music have also been redesigned for Vision Pro, offering new ways to watch videos and listen to music. TikTok now allows users to explore content in 3D, while Apple Music offers over 100 million songs without ads in Spatial Audio for an enveloping sound experience.

Vision Pro users also get special access to entertainment from Disney+, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max, and the Apple TV app. These platforms provide movies, shows, and Apple Originals in amazing 3D and with Spatial Audio, making it feel like you're right in the middle of the action. Plus, with support from major sports apps, sports lovers can enjoy an unmatched viewing experience, as if they're actually at the game.

Education and learning

Apple wants to also transform education with its AR apps, making learning more interactive and fun. One of these apps, solAR, takes students on a journey through the solar system, making studying astronomy much more interesting by letting users explore planets and stars up close, in great detail. 

Another app, Complete HeartX, uses 3D models to show the heart's parts and how they work together. This tool makes learning about human anatomy engaging by allowing students to see and interact with the heart in a dynamic environment. 

New experiences

Apple Vision Pro is also introducing some new experiences. For example, there's an app that takes you on a virtual natural history tour with Sir David Attenborough. This app makes you feel like you're walking through a museum, learning about rare specimens directly from Attenborough, bringing education and wonder into your living room in a whole new way.

Then there's CARROT Weather, an app that turns checking the weather into an entertaining experience. With this app, users can see weather conditions in 3D, making weather forecasts more engaging and fun to interact with.

Wisp introduces an AI companion within a game setting. This unique app offers both friendship and fun, creating an interactive buddy that changes and grows based on how you play and interact with it. It’s a creative mix of gaming and personalized digital companionship.

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Early adopters

The following early adopters have decided to improve their respective industries by leveraging the platform's spatial computing capabilities:

1. Lowe's Style Studio app. Enables users to design and visualize kitchen renovations in an immersive 3D environment. Blended 3D visualization and spatial computing with mobile tech expertise for a seamless omnichannel experience.
2. e.l.f. Cosmetics. Offers an immersive beauty brand experience, furthering customer engagement beyond traditional product interaction. Views spatial computing as a critical path to disrupting norms and deeply connecting with communities.
3. PGA Tour. Provides golf fans with immersive experiences of iconic golf courses, using 3D models and live data. Utilizes past augmented and virtual reality experiences to enhance fan engagement.  
4. Hanifa. Aims to enhance customer experiences through virtual showrooms and immersive fashion shows. Focuses on integrating digital elements into physical spaces to push the boundaries of fashion.

Key takeaways from these cases:

• It's more important than ever to integrate new technology with existing expertise to create seamless user experiences.
• You need to be continuously experimenting and learning to adjust your UX to specific audiences.
• Spatial computing has great potential to deepen customer engagement and expand brand presence.

Don't waste time while the spot on the market is still fresh!

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What do you need to adapt your app for Vision Pro?

To adapt your app for the Apple Vision Pro, you need to address several specific requirements and challenges. 

First, you'll need to utilize the visionOS Simulator, a new platform specifically designed for developing apps on Vision Pro. Learn how to develop in the unique environments of windows, volumes, or spaces introduced by visionOS, which is a significant departure from traditional app development.

Secondly, you'll need to acquire or develop expertise in spatial computing and become familiar with development tools and game engines like Unity or visionOS itself. 

After that, ensure access to the necessary hardware requirements, including a Macbook Pro equipped with at least an M2 Apple Silicon chip, which is necessary for development, in addition to acquiring the Vision Pro headset itself for testing and development purposes. Without the proper hardware, you won't be able to effectively develop and test your app.

Next, learn to innovate in creating applications that are native 3D and spatial, considering new input methods such as hand gestures and designing for immersive experiences. 

Or, here’s a much better and faster solution if you want Vision Pro apps.

Development considerations

VisionOS integration and SwiftUI compatibility are crucial considerations when developing for Apple's Vision Pro headset. 

Your app should be fully integrated with VisionOS, leveraging the mixed reality capabilities of Vision Pro. This means updating or rewriting your app using SwiftUI and ARKit, as these tools are designed to work seamlessly with Vision Pro's advanced features. 

If your app is already built with SwiftUI and has a multiplatform approach, the transition to visionOS for the Vision Pro will be smoother, as SwiftUI's architecture inherently supports adaptability across Apple devices, including Vision Pro.

Then you’ll need to convert your application to offer immersive experiences specific to Vision Pro specs. It’s done by utilizing the device's mixed-reality capabilities to create more interactive and engaging user interfaces and experiences. 

Apps developed from scratch or converted for Vision Pro should maximize the hardware's capabilities, such as spatial audio, advanced sensors for movement tracking, and high-resolution displays. This optimization will make sure your app delivers a compelling mixed-reality experience.

Embracing Apple's native components, such as .title and .body for text, is also a needed step. This way, your app will automatically adjust its UI elements for different devices, which is particularly important for Vision Pro, where text and other elements need to be more prominent due to the spatial presentation in AR. 

Avoiding hardcoding font sizes and other dimensional attributes is also discouraged. Instead, rely on the scalability and adaptability of native components that adjust based on the device, especially when transitioning between traditional screens and AR environments like on the Vision Pro.

Check out our next article to learn more about design considerations for developing apps for Apple Vision Pro.

Want to take your app to Apple Vision Pro?

We're here to help.

Learn more

Opportunities

Here’s what you can expect from early adapting your applications for the Apple Vision Pro goggles:

1. Competitive advantage. Early adopters can position themselves as industry leaders in spatial computing, gaining a first-mover advantage on this new platform.
2. Brand loyalty. Developing unique and compelling apps for Vision Pro can help build brand loyalty among users of this new device, tapping into a market of early adopters and tech enthusiasts.
3. Influence on the market. Early participation in the Vision Pro ecosystem allows companies to influence the development of best practices and standards in spatial computing, shaping the future of this technology.
4. New revenue streams. By exploring and creating unique applications for spatial computing, companies can unlock new revenue streams that were not possible in traditional computing platforms.
5. Learning and innovation. Engaging with spatial computing at this early stage offers a chance for businesses to experiment and innovate, potentially discovering the most natural and intuitive ways for users to interact with technology, setting the stage for future developments in computing.

What should be your next steps, then?

Well, first of all, settle on which product you want to adapt for Apple Vision Pro and why.

Then, let’s talk. Book a consultation with Merge and see for yourself what kind of new possibilities this project will bring to your business.

And don’t worry about all the hassles we’ve mentioned in this article. If you are working with our team, we’ll handle all the technicalities.