In a quick turn of events, YouTube has confirmed an Apple Vision Pro app is in its roadmap. The official statement was shared by YouTube spokesperson Jessica Gibby with The Verge over email. She did not offer a launch timeline but revealed the team is working on ensuring a “great experience on Safari” for the users. It means until an official YouTube Vision Pro app is released, users can expect an optimized viewing experience via Safari.
YouTube App Is Coming to Apple Vision Pro After All
YouTube was among the biggest entertainment app platforms that decided against releasing an Apple Vision Pro app last month. Netflix and Spotify have also followed a similar path for now. But then, Apple’s VisionOS saw the recent release of an unofficial YouTube app, which might have prompted Google to change course.
The unofficial YouTube app in question is called Juno and has been developed by Christian Selig, well-known for developing the popular Reddit client app Apollo. It is not the ideal YouTube app for Vision Pro, but offers a better user experience than what users get through Safari as of now.
One important thing to note is that even though YouTube has confirmed it will release a Vision Pro app, it has not specified whether it will be a native VisionOS application. It could also be just a tweaked iPad YouTube app with compatibility mode enabled. We will have to wait and see in what direction YouTube decides to move ahead.
YouTube is home to numerous VR and 360 videos that users have been enjoying on other VR headsets like the Meta Quest 3. However, none of them work on the Vision Pro just yet. It is unknown if these videos will ever be supported by the device as Apple spokesperson Jackie Roy told The Verge,
“Much of this content was created for devices that do not deliver a high-quality spatial experience. 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,” the statement adds.
YouTube has not shared comments on the VR and 360-degree video situation yet. So it is unclear if the official Vision Pro app– when it launches– will offer playback of these videos. These are undoubtedly important questions and hopefully, more details will be made available closer to launch.
