Ahead of Apple's Vision Pro launch on February 2, developers are preparing the first batch of apps for MR headsets. About 250 apps with native visionOS support have been submitted to Apple so far, according to a person familiar with the matter.
With native support for visionOS, apps can take full advantage of "spatial" design elements and provide more immersive functionality.
According to data from application analysis company Appfigures, in addition to some Apple applications, well-known third-party applications will also natively support visionOS at launch, including Airmail, Box, CARROTWeather, Fantastical, Facades, JigSpace, MUBI, NightSky, OmniPlan4, Parcel, PCalc, RedBullTV, SkyGuide, Tides, Webex, Zoom, etc.
According to AppStore marketing images shared by developer Steve Troughon-Smith on Mastodon and @M1Astra on X/Twitter, Microsoft will offer a variety of native visionOS apps at launch, such as Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Teams. Other images show native apps from Crunchyroll, J.Crew, LEGO Builder's Journey, Lowe's and more.
In addition to native apps, iPhone and iPad apps will automatically be made available to VisionPro unless developers opt out using the AppStoreConnect tool. As a result, Apple says the headphones will have more than 1 million apps available at launch.
Apple last week listed the other entertainment apps that will be available when Vision Pro becomes available, including Disney+, ESPN, NBA, MLB, PGA Tour, Max, Discovery+, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, Peacock, PlutoTV, Tubi, Fubo, IMAX and TikTok. Some of the apps will be native, while others will be iPad-compatible apps.
Disney+ will natively support VisionPro at launch, and its app will provide users with a selection of 3D movies that can be watched on the headset, such as "Avatar: Waterfall," "Avengers: Endgame" and more.
"At launch, viewers will be able to transform their space into one of four Disney+ environments, bringing them closer to the storyline," Disney said in a press release last week. "Each environment includes animations and sounds to bring the space to life, as well as Easter eggs from the movies and franchises to surprise fans."
According to Bloomberg, some popular apps will not offer any form of VisionPro app at launch, including Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube, but users will still be able to access these services through Safari. It's unclear whether Meta's Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp apps will be available at launch.
With around two weeks until VisionPro goes on sale, developers still have time to prepare their apps, so expect more to come soon.