Apple Vision Pro Mindfulness App May Get 'Respiration Tracking' Feature

Apple is working on a new "respiration tracking" feature for Apple Vision Pro that is likely to be functional during mindfulness sessions, based on backend code discovered by MacRumors.

mindfulness vision pro
Contributor Aaron Perris found references to the previously unheard-of feature in lines of code related to the headset's Mindfulness app, which offers users an immersive meditation experience using either guided meditations or self-guided sessions.

Apple's Mindfulness app essentially encourages the user to cultivate awareness of their own breath to support mental wellbeing. Attention to breathing is generally considered to be a foundational component of mindfulness practice, and long-term mindfulness training is associated with reliable differences in resting respiration rate, according to empirical research.

Apple Watch can already track respiration rate while wearers are sleeping. Apple Watch uses its built-in accelerometer, which measures vibration and movement, to determine how many times a person breathes each minute. While the Vision Pro also has an accelerometer, it's unclear whether this hardware or sensors that track changes in facial musculature would be involved when a mindfulness session is in progress.

There's no information suggesting if or when the feature could make an appearance, but Apple is expected to announce visionOS 2 at its annual developers conference, WWDC, which begins next week, June 10.

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

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...

Top Rated Comments

Karma*Police Avatar
8 weeks ago
I didn’t use this feature on my AW when I had it on all day. Can’t imagine too many people putting on a bulky headset to do this. For many people who are serious about mindfulness/ yoga/ meditation, it’s an opportunity to get away from technology and distractions of the world to find inner peace, not look at some hallucinogenic effect through goggles.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thewill586 Avatar
8 weeks ago
MacRumors needs something to post everyday.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nfl46 Avatar
8 weeks ago

This interface for the Vision Pro looks really, really cool. Except, doesn’t everyone close their eyes during meditation?

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has actually tried this, if they can relax with the weight of the thing on their head.
Yep, I can. I’ve gotten use to the weight of it now. It doesn’t even bother me. Then again, I’ve been using VR headsets since the Oculus Quest in 2019 so it’s not fair for me to comment on that. Lol. I’ve been through the VR journey and the AVP has so much untapped potential! It’s all up to Apple to give up updates with new features. All we’ve gotten so far are bug fixes that most users don’t even notice.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bobbie424242 Avatar
8 weeks ago
I've been waiting for this all my life and will immediately buy an AVP exclusively for it !
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarAnalogy Avatar
8 weeks ago
This interface for the Vision Pro looks really, really cool. Except, doesn’t everyone close their eyes during meditation?

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has actually tried this, if they can relax with the weight of the thing on their head.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
8 weeks ago
This seems like an overkill device for mindfulness practice


I didn’t use this feature on my AW when I had it on all day. Can’t imagine too many people putting on a bulky headset to do this. For many people who are serious about mindfulness/ yoga/ meditation, it’s an opportunity to get away from technology and distractions of the world to find inner peace, not look at some hallucinogenic effect through goggles.
This ^
Well said @Karma*Police
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)