Beta Version of visionOS App Store to Be Available to Developers This Fall

Apple today announced that it plans to bring the new visionOS App Store to a developer beta release of visionOS this fall. The ‌App Store‌ will include apps and games built for visionOS, plus it will offer iPhone and iPad apps that are able to run on the headset.

apple vision pro
By default, ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ apps will be published automatically on the visionOS ‌App Store‌, as most frameworks in iOS and iPadOS are included in visionOS. If an app requires a feature that is not available on Apple Vision Pro, ‌App Store‌ Connect will inform the app developer that it is not compatible and will need updates before it is made available to consumers.

Developers that need to make changes can use the visionOS simulator in the Xcode 15 beta to interact with and test app functionality. Further testing can be done through a compatibility evaluation or at one of Apple's developer labs.

Apple says that almost all ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ apps will be able to run on the Vision Pro headset as is. Developers who want to make an experience designed specifically for the Vision Pro can do so with the visionOS SDK. Apps that use the visionOS SDK will adopt the standard visionOS system appearance and 3D content tuned for eye and hand input can be included. More information is available on Apple's developer website.

Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
iOS 26

When Will Apple Release iOS 26.2?

Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week. Past Launch Dates Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...

Top Rated Comments

HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
30 months ago

This reminds me so much how they made fun of iPhone back in 2006/2007. “No one will buy a $600 phone!” “No one I tell you!”
"No one will want this iPad- it's just a big iPod"

"Why would anyone want a phablet-sized phone? Abomination, developer fragmentation, man purses, pants with bigger pockets, one-handed use, etc" (and, ironically, much of the same crowd now ridicules small screen phones whenever someone shares wishes for them).

"Why would anyone want NFC (pay with phone) when the plastic in my pocket works perfectly fine everywhere?" (along comes Apple Pay and some of that crowd was wanting to boycott stores that wouldn't let them pay that way).

There is a rich history of hating a brand new product right up and into the public launch and then some. Look up the original iPod launch thread on this site. The ridicule & contempt is major. The collective chorus screamed absolute failure, sharing some of the very same reasons slung against this thing. And we all know how that turned out.

Right now, there's a sizable crowd STILL ranting against USB-C replacing Lightning but none of them will call Apple out for already implementing USB-C in iPads and Macs for many years now. Apparently, USB-C is perfectly fine where Apple is already using but absolutely dreadful where Apple is not using it yet. (why do I think that AFTER Apple formally adopts it in that product, it will soon be perfectly fine there too?).

I'm now in the window of just about ignoring the pessimistic extremists about Vpro. If it's not for them, that's fine: not everything is for everyone. If they lack the imagination to see the potential, potential will become reality soon enough and maybe some of them will see it quite differently once all it can actually do is revealed... and expanded on by creative apps.

It seems like it's mostly the same 8-10 guys who seem to have a great passion against this product but jump into every single thread about it like they can't resist following it. I expect a few of them to jump into this thread just anytime now. Since they are so, VERY disinterested- seeing "no point" and "solution in search of a problem", etc, I don't know why they waste their time... but I know they'll join the conversation and share the same bashes. Perhaps they think they can save some of the rest of us from making a terrible purchasing mistake??? Our heroes! ;)

Personally, I have no interest in Apple Watch and thus barely ever dive into any Watch threads because I don't want to waste my time talking about a product in which I have no interest. But those 8 or 10 guys seem to not be able to help themselves when it comes to this product.

I see much potential for a product that can effectively present- in a realistic way- pretty much ANYTHING to what are arguably our two most important senses. I can envision all kinds of apps and services that would make that "amazing." However, if it can deliver one, relatively simple thing that was demoed in the WWDC presentation and seems quite doable in a quality way, I'm sold... even if it can do nothing beyond only that single thing.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mrkevinfinnerty Avatar
30 months ago
Does it have a calculator app?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kiensoy Avatar
30 months ago
Developers don't even update their apps to make use of the Dynamic Island in the most popular Apple device, even after one year. I'm wondering how many will develop for Vision Pro.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vertsix Avatar
30 months ago
visionOS App Store release:

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lazyrighteye Avatar
30 months ago
I have so many questions about Vision Pro, the main one being... How Pro is Pro?
Are we talking Mac Pro or iPad Pro? As we know, those Pros can be very different. One is a tool capable of the highest-end video editing, multitrack audio, 3-D animation and motion graphics (amongst other things). These tools can be found in professional studios that bill clients, win awards and pay mortgages. The other is a really nice (and big) iPad. I'm curious where Vision Pro falls on Apple's Pro scale. Time will tell?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mrkevinfinnerty Avatar
30 months ago
Big money awaits the first person to port iBeer to this thing

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)