When Apple’s new Vision Pro headset launched, some big-name apps were noticeably missing from the Vision Pro App Store, including Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify.
However, there is hope that a YouTube app may be on the way soon. YouTube told The Verge that they are “excited” about the Vision Pro and that having a YouTube app is part of their plans. Unfortunately, they didn’t share any timeline for when users could expect to see it happen.
YouTube’s full statement was:
We’re excited to see Vision Pro launch and we’re supporting it by ensuring YouTube users have a great experience in Safari. We do not have any specific plans to share at this time, but can confirm that a Vision Pro app is on our roadmap.
In the past, YouTube and its parent company, Google, took years before supporting new products from Apple. So even though YouTube says they are working on a Vision Pro app, it’s unclear how long that could take.
In the meantime, a developer named Christian Selig created an app called “Juno” to allow Vision Pro owners to watch regular YouTube videos. There’s also the option to view YouTube in the Safari web browser on the headset.
However, neither Juno nor Safari supports watching YouTube’s 360-degree or 3D videos on the Vision Pro. An Apple spokesperson explained this is because that premium content was made for other devices that don’t offer the same high-quality spatial viewing experience that the Vision Pro headset provides.
So in simple terms, basic YouTube videos can now be viewed on Vision Pro through third-party apps or web browsers, but not YouTube’s immersive 360 or 3D catalog. YouTube will need to develop a native Vision Pro app before those special video formats can be watched in their full quality. Given YouTube and Google’s slow pace of adopting new Apple technologies sometimes, it’s anyone’s guess how long the official app could take.
In some cases, this content could also cause motion discomfort. We’ve focused our efforts on delivering the best spatial media experience possible including spatial photos and videos, Apple Immersive Video, and 3D movies available on Apple TV.
