Don’t expect to access Netflix, YouTube, Spotify or other top streaming apps via dedicated software on Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro augmented reality headset.
According to a new Bloomberg report, none of those popular services plan to launch apps optimized for Apple’s visionOS platform or iPad ecosystem playable on the $3,500 VR device. At most, users can access pared-down web versions through the headset’s browser – not the full app experience Meta Quest 2 owners enjoy today for YouTube and other media services.
This means early Vision Pro adopters pre-ordering starting today for February 2 delivery will have limited options for easily immersing in VR content from top providers. And with Spotify having never developed a VR app even for market leader Meta, hopes remain slim we’ll see a dedicated Vision Pro music streaming integration anytime soon.
And if you expected carrying over your Facebook, Instagram or Whatsapp social life into Apple’s virtual spaces – think again. Meta has not deigned to bring those apps over either, despite enabling several offerings for rival VR platforms over the years.
That said, Meta itself has not conclusively ruled out launching on visionOS someday. But at launch, Apple’s own suite of exclusiveAugmented Reality content and causal gaming apps via RealityOS will likely bear the weight of showcasing what its new headset can do.
It seems the battle for metaverse supremacy and closed ecosystem dominance means Apple users lose out most when behemoths like Apple and Meta play hardball rather than collaborate openly. For now, the pickings of third party media content accessible through visionOS without major compromise remain comparatively slim – an unfortunate VR tradeoff for those excited to jack into Apple’s pricey new hardware revelation.
