visionOS 26 was previewed by Apple at the keynote session of its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025. The upcoming major update to the operating system for the Vision Pro introduces new features and enhanced spatial experiences. The operating system also significantly improves Personas, adds spatial effects in Widgets, and brings a new Spatial Scenes feature. Apart from this, the Cupertino-based tech giant has also added new Apple Intelligence features and quality-of-life improvements. visionOS 26 developer beta is now available to download, and the first public beta is expected to arrive sometime next month.
Everything New With the visionOS 26
Unlike Apple’s other operating systems, visionOS 26 will not undergo any drastic design changes, as the new Liquid Glass user interface (UI) is based on the spatial interface of visionOS. However, with this iterative update, the company has focused on refining the existing features and adding new ones that add to them. The tech giant has also focused on expanding the range of spatial (augmented reality or AR) experiences to bring cohesiveness to the OS.
Widgets Are Now Spatial
Apple is now making the widgets in visionOS 26 spatial. This means widgets such as Clock, Weather, Music, and Photos all support AR elements. Users can now immerse these widgets into their spaces, and these widgets will reappear at the same spot whenever they use their Vision Pro. The company says these widgets are customisable with a large number of options for frame width, colour, and depth.
Spatial widgets
Photo Credit: Apple
Vision Pro users can also decorate their mixed-reality spaces with widgets by adding spatial photos, clocks with unique watch faces, and quick access to playlists and songs on Apple Music.
Improved Personas and Shared Spatial Experiences
Personas are getting a major upgrade with visionOS 26. The tech giant says it used volumetric rendering and machine learning technology to improve the expressiveness and sharpness of the digital avatars. Personas will also show a full side profile view, and are said to feature accurate hair, eyelashes, and complexion. While creating a Persona, users can now also preview it and make adjustments to it. Notably, Apple has added more than 1,000 options for glasses.
Improvements to Personas
Photo Credit: Apple
Shared spatial experiences are also getting an update. Apple Vision Pro users can now invite other users to their space to watch a movie in 3D, play a spatial game, or collaborate for work. Users can also add remote participants via FaceTime.
Spatial Scenes Introduced
Spatial Scenes can be understood as an enhanced version of spatial photos that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to add depth and increased perspective to an image. As a result, these images appear lifelike, where users can slightly lean into the scene. The new Spatial Scenes can be viewed via the Photos app, the Spatial Gallery app, and the Safari browser.
Spatial Browsing and Native Support for 360-degree Videos
The Safari browser is also getting spatial capabilities. With a new button, users can make the browsing and article reading experience more immersive. Safari will also support spatial scenes, enabling users to take full advantage of the experience.
Spatial browsing in Safari
Photo Credit: Apple
Additionally, Apple confirmed that visionOS 26 will support native playback of 180-degree, 360-degree, and wide field-of-view (FOV) content from devices such as Insta360, GoPro, and Canon. Even if the content is 2D, users can now view these videos in a more immersive manner. The upcoming OS update will also add support for the PlayStation VR2 Sense controller.
Apple Intelligence and Quality of Life Improvements
Apart from these major introductions and improvements, visionOS 26 is also getting new Apple Intelligence features, including updates to Image Playground. The AI features now also support new languages, including French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish, as well as English in Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, and the UK. You can read more about the AI features here.
Other quality of life improvements include Look to Scroll, which lets users explore apps and websites using their eyes. Users can now customise scroll speed, and developers have the option to integrate the feature into third-party apps. Control Centre is also being redesigned to display features such as Guest User, Focus, and Travel Mode in a single view.
Additionally, users will now be able to unlock their iPhone while wearing their Vision Pro. This can be enabled in Settings for Face ID-supported iPhone models. The mixed-reality headset can also relay calls from a nearby iPhone and answer directly within Vision Pro.
