Apple has unveiled visionOS 26, a new version of the operating system for its augmented reality headset Vision Pro that expands its capabilities. One of the key features of visionOS 26 is support for spatial widgets with the ability to remember their location when superimposed on real-world objects. Apple explains that “widgets are seamlessly integrated into the user’s space and appear every time they put on Vision Pro” in the same place.
Image source: Apple
VisionOS 26 introduces several new widgets, including Clock, Weather, and Music. The latter provides quick access to playlists. The Photos widget lets you display “stunning panoramas and spatial snapshots of your favorite memories.”
Another major new feature is support for PlayStation’s VR2 Sense controllers, which greatly expands the Vision Pro’s gaming capabilities, allowing it to run more complex VR and AR games, and provides a more robust control system than Apple’s eye and finger tracking.
VisionOS 26 also introduces hands-free scrolling, improving everyday interactions with Vision Pro. While previous versions of the operating system required you to pinch your thumb and index finger together to grab content and move it in the desired direction, or pinch your fingers together to scroll faster, the new Look to Scroll feature lets you control scrolling using eye movements. Apple will provide an API for third-party developers to integrate this technology into their own Vision Pro apps.
VisionOS 26 also introduces the ability to unlock your iPhone using Vision Pro, even in immersive mode. This feature will be available for iPhone models running iOS 26.3. The new system will also support call relaying from your iPhone, allowing you to answer calls directly through Vision Pro.
The company has significantly improved the system for creating digital avatars of users — Personas. In visionOS 26, avatars have become much more realistic. For comparison: the image on the right shows an avatar from previous versions of the system, and on the left — one created using visionOS 26.
The operating system also allows you to watch movies in 3D with another Vision Pro user, for example, sitting next to each other on the same couch. The update adds support for “180-degree, 360-degree, and wide-field content from Insta360, GoPro, and Canon.” Adobe will also release a new Premiere-based app for visionOS 26 that will allow users to create and edit spatial videos directly in Vision Pro.
VisionOS 26 expands language support to include French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish, as well as regional versions of English for Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, and the UK.
The Control Center has also been redesigned to combine features such as Guest User, Focus, and Travel Mode. Folder support has been added to help you organize and group apps.