Vision Pro: Crafting Next-Gen App Experiences
The advanced AR/VR/XR headset operating on visionOS is already changing the way we experience our digital environments. With all the benefits of spatial computing right at our fingertips – from AR/VR experiences to seamlessly manipulating our mixed reality surroundings with our voice and the movements of our eyes and fingertips, Vision Pro apps are opening a whole new array of innovative ways for how businesses will be doing business in the near future, from enriched customer service to the way we will be showing products and offer our services as spatial experiences. Immersive videos of your products/services will allow clients to have experiences similar to visiting the showroom without having to travel there.
Similar to the very first versions of iPhones, the original Apple Vision Pro can be considered the prototype of all the future spatial computing devices by Apple. With its new, more affordable models reportedly underway and an improved second generation of Vision Pro anticipated to be announced in late 2025, now is the time for businesses to get acquainted with all the innovative opportunities this device offers and take their first steps towards creating apps that will take their users into the not so far future.
As a guide into this journey, let’s take a look at the ways businesses now can relate themselves to Apple Vision Pro.
Building new apps for VisionOS
Vision Pro apps have plenty of business use cases that benefit businesses in industries like manufacturing, retail, construction, healthcare, sports, education, to mention a few. By embracing Vision Pro apps, you will be able to optimize your app’s value by offering your users spatial experiences that they can select from pass through and immersive modes.
If you are in the ideation phase of your next app, now is a good time to consider building it specifically for Vision Pro. Building a visionOS app from scratch will ensure that the new app fully benefits from the innovative features
Building applications on visionOS – the operating system for Vision Pro devices – allows integration into the existing Apple ecosystem, making your new Vision Pro apps interoperable with all other Apple devices.
A development team experienced in iOS app development – as well as interdisciplinary development – and equipped with the knowledge and capabilities of visionOS software development kit will be capacitated to create spatial computing applications. We should keep in mind that creating Vision Pro apps is a new road both for businesses and development teams. If you’re looking into building your next app on visionOS and are in need of clarifications, do not hesitate to contact our team of visionOS developers.
Bringing your existing iOS apps to visionOS
Instead of writing a brand new app for Vision Pro, it is possible to port existing iOS apps (or iPadOS or watchOS apps) to Apple Vision Pro. This saves time and resources and can be done by upgrading certain features, as well as improving the UX of your existing app to work for spatial computing and augmented/mixed/extended reality.
This advancement is possible by making adjustments to the existing code to run on the visionOS platforms. This also requires updating the app’s UI to take advantage of visionOS features, as well as its assets, such as vector-based images (including videos and animations), so as to enable users to view them at different angles. The complexity and duration of this process varies with the level of details of the images.
Although as a device Vision Pro is capable across a wide range of industries, not all iOS apps are fit or make sense to be modified to visionOS. To check if your existing iOS app is compatible with visionOS, you may consult our team of experts.
Building new iOS apps that are ready to be converted to visionOS apps
Building a new iOS (and other Apple OS) app in a way that it will be ready to be ported to Vision Pro means making it ready to enter from a finite 2D space into an infinite 3D space, while staying connected to your surroundings.
Building your new apps with SwiftUI – the same framework used for building user interfaces for visionOS apps – will provide a cross-platform programming experience that can be easily applied for visionOS apps. Working with a team that has a solid understanding of the Vision Pro device characteristics and patterns will enable you to make early design decisions that can be easily transformed into deeply immersive experiences.
With different levels and types of immersion (up to having 3D content blended with your surroundings), visionOS apps offer visual experiences unlike any other. This naturally required next-level visual assets. To make your current iOS app more visionOS-ready, consider enhancing your visual library with extra high-quality 3D images with the level of detail and realism needed for creating immersive environments.
Looking for more insight on building your apps for Vision Pro? Our team of experts would love to talk to you in a non-committal way.