Apple just announced visionOS 26 for Apple Vision Pro at WWDC25.
visionOS 26 will bring PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers & Logitech Muse stylus support, much more realistic Personas, spatial Widgets, volumetric Spatial Scenes, local SharePlay, and much more.
While you might have expected the next version of Vision Pro’s operating system to be visionOS 3, Apple has switched to a unified year-based naming system for all of its operating systems. While visionOS 26 will launch later this year, most of its lifecycle will span through 2026.
Here’s everything coming in visionOS 26:
PlayStation VR2 Sense Controllers
As rumored for months now, visionOS 26 will add native support for the PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers, which Sony will sell separately from the headset.
Apple says this will bring “a new class of games” to Vision Pro.
PS VR2 controller support will include 6DoF positional tracking, capacitive finger touch detection, and “vibration support”. It’s unclear whether precision haptics will be supported, nor the unique resistive triggers of the PS VR2 Sense controllers.
Photorealistic Personas
In visionOS 26, Apple says Personas, the platform’s face-tracked realistic avatars, have been “transformed to feel more natural and familiar” thanks to “industry-leading volumetric rendering and machine learning technology”.
Apple claims these new more realistic Personas have “striking expressivity and sharpness, offering a full side profile view, and remarkably accurate hair, lashes, and complexion”. The company has also expanded the eyewear options for your Persona to include over 1000 variations of glasses.
Apple says the new Personas are still generated in a matter of seconds via holding the headset up to let it scan your face.
visionOS 26 will bring persistent Widgets to the platform. You position these widgets in your physical space, and they reappear every time you put on the headset.
Apple says visionOS Widgets are customizable with options for “frame width, color, and depth”.
Built-in widgets will include Clock, Weather, Music, and Photos, and developers will be able to build their own using WidgetKit.
Volumetric ‘Spatial Scenes’
Since the launch of Apple Vision Pro the headset has been able to capture and display 3D photos, which Apple calls Spatial Photos, and visionOS 2 added the ability to convert any 2D image into a Spatial Photo using machine learning.
visionOS 26 is set to go much further. It introduces Spatial Scenes, which leverages “a new generative AI algorithm and computational depth to create spatial scenes with multiple perspectives, letting users feel like they can lean in and look around”.
Spatial Scenes can be viewed in Photos app, Spatial Gallery app, and Safari, and developers will be able to add them to their visionOS apps using a new Spatial Scene API.
Local Shared Spatial Experiences
Currently, it’s not possible to build visionOS apps that let multiple Vision Pro headsets automatically see the same objects and interfaces in the same locations in the same physical space, a feature known as colocation on Quest and Pico.
Dassault Systèmes 3DLive app.
visionOS 26 will bring this capability to Vision Pro, leveraging the existing SharePlay technology and APIs that today let Vision Pro owners share experiences remotely.
Logic Muse Spatial Stylus
visionOS 26 adds support for the upcoming Logitech Muse accessory, a spatial stylus for Apple Vision Pro.
Apple says Logitech Muse “enables precise input and new ways to interact with collaboration apps like Spatial Analogue”.
It looks to be very similar to the existing Logitech MX Ink spatial stylus for Meta’s Quest headsets.
90Hz Hand Tracking
At launch, Apple Vision Pro’s hand tracking was limited to 30Hz, and we noted in our review that this made it feel sluggish and unresponsive in games.
With visionOS 2 developers got the ability to run hand tracking at up to 60Hz. And with visionOS 26, they’ll be able to run hand tracking at up to 90Hz, the same refresh rate as the Vision Pro’s display in most conditions.
Spatial Browsing In Safari
visionOS 26 is set to bring significant upgrades to Safari on Vision Pro.
The new Safari will allow web developers to embed 3D models in web pages, and the user can “manipulate” these 3D models directly in the page.
As a user, you’ll also be able to “transform articles on Safari, hide distractions, and reveal spatial scenes that come alive as they scroll”.
Native 180° & 360° Video Support
visionOS 26 will add native support for traditional 2D 180° and 360° video, not just Apple’s own 3D Apple Immersive Video format.
Apple says this allows you to easily watch content captured on affordable 180 and 360 cameras from companies like Insta360, GoPro, and Canon.
Folders In Home View
With visionOS 26, you’ll be able to create folders of apps in the home screen, just as you can on iOS and iPadOS.
Currently there is just one folder, which holds compatible iPad and iPhone apps.
Unlock & Answer Calls From iPhone
With visionOS 26 and iOS 26, you’ll be able to unlock your iPhone while wearing Vision Pro.
You’ll also be able to answer calls being made to your iPhone, which will be redirected to visionOS.
A new option in visionOS 26 called Look To Scroll will let Vision Pro owners “explore apps and websites using just their eyes”.
We’ll be very curious to see exactly how this feature works, as it’s not clear from the description.
This news is breaking, and this will be updated to reflect the developing news as Apple reveals more details of visionOS 26.
This article was originally published on uploadvr