Apple Vision Pro: Here are the first apps you should download

Apple releases its ambitious Vision Pro headset to consumers today, February 2. There are over 600 apps and games currently available on the visionOS store, with more to come. Although Netflix and YouTube aren’t launching dedicated apps, there are still a lot of apps that could be great to start the Vision Pro journey with — […]
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Apple releases its ambitious Vision Pro headset to consumers today, February 2. There are over 600 apps and games currently available on the visionOS store, with more to come. Although Netflix and YouTube aren’t launching dedicated apps, there are still a lot of apps that could be great to start the Vision Pro journey with — and this is an evolving list.

Some of the apps on this list are specifically for Apple’s new device, while others are going to be available for the Vision Pro by way of its compatibility with other iOS and iPad apps.

Entertainment

Image Credits: Apple

The biggest draw to the Vision Pro is its immersive viewing experience, so it’s only natural that major streaming giants and media companies want to support the device. Apple’s headset comes with an advanced Spatial Audio system, a pair of ultra-high-resolution micro-OLED displays, Dolby Vision and more. Plus, it supports up to 2.5 hours of video playback, potentially making it useful for movie night.

Streaming

Apple TV
Disney+
Max
Amazon Prime Video
Discovery+
Paramount+
Peacock
Pluto TV
Tubi
Crunchyroll
Mubi
IMAX

Image Credits: Apple

Sports

Red Bull TV
ESPN
PGA Tour
NBA
MLB
Fubo
Sling TV
NBC Sports
FOX Sports 

Image Credits: MLB

Short Videos

TikTok
Juno for YouTube

Image Credits: Christian Selig

Cable

Spectrum TV
Xfinity Stream
Cox Contour TV
Verizon Fios TV

Image Credits: Apple

Productivity

Image Credits: Microsoft

Will the Vision Pro be useful in the workplace? That remains to be seen, but some developers are building productivity apps that will help the headset users engage with familiar tools in a new way, from spreadsheets and presentations to written documents and note-taking tools. Both Apple and Microsoft have released their suite of productivity apps for the new device, as have other companies, like Box, Notion and others.

Keynote
Mail
Notes
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Word
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Teams
Notion
Box
Numerics
Fantastical
Todolist

Communication

Digital avatars or “personas” are another intriguing feature, giving headset wearers the ability to create a virtual version of their face. (TechCrunch’s Brian Heater demonstrates Vision Pro’s face scan process here.) Many of these apps support Apple’s persona, which could be an interesting change from the cartoonish avatars you get with Meta’s Horizon Worlds, though they’re not yet able to precisely capture a person’s facial features.

FaceTime
Zoom
Webex
Microsoft Teams
Slack

Image Credits: Zoom

Browser

There are still apps missing from the Vision Pro, including Spotify, Instagram, Facebook and others. However, companies without dedicated apps are telling users they can still experience their platforms with the browser version. There’s also “Mac Virtual Display,” so you can use Apple’s headset as a giant 4K display to see all your tabs.

Safari

Social

Do you want to experience Discord, among other social and messenger apps, on the Vision Pro? Sure, why not? This list is pretty small at launch — and we doubt Meta is rolling out support for its apps anytime soon — but hopefully, more will get added over time.

Reddit
Discord
Telegram

Games

Image Credits: Apple

When most of us think of an AR/VR headset, we immediately associate it with playing fun games. Apple luckily didn’t short us on that front, and there are more than 250 games from Apple Arcade‘s catalog available at launch. There’s also support for game controllers like PlayStation DualSense and the Xbox Wireless Controller.

Super Fruit Ninja
Cut the Rope 3
Lies of P
Synth Riders
NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition
Sonic Dream Team
TMNT Splintered Fate
LEGO Builder’s Journey
What the Golf?
Jetpack Joyride 2
Wylde Flowers
And lots more!

Music

A lot of music apps are offering unique experiences on the Vision Pro, including being able to watch a VR concert featuring opera singers, pianists or even legendary rapper T-Pain. (We think that sounds pretty cool.)

Apple Music
NowPlaying for stories behind songs
STAGE+ for classical concerts
AmazeVR Concerts
Spool music video editor

Image Credits: NowPlaying

News

Some people like reading physical newspapers and others prefer to stay informed with a ski-goggle-looking device on their head. Either way, we don’t judge.

CNN
Washington Post
The Guardian

Utility

Maybe you want to learn about today’s weather from a sassy chatbot. Maybe you’re a pilot looking to view live traffic data in a real-time aviation environment. Here are some of the utility apps you may want to check out.

Navi with live translations
CARROT Weather
Voyager by ForeFight to look at aviation data

Image Credits: Apple

Design

Creatives have a few intriguing apps to choose from when it comes to design. Adobe’s text-to-image tool, for example, allows you to place generated images onto real-world spaces as if it’s a virtual poster. You can also explore Lowe’s interactive 3D scenes and customize your dream kitchen.

Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Firefly AI
Lowe’s Style Studio for designing the kitchen
Wayfair Decorify

Shopping

Whether you’re looking for an alternative shopping experience like using J. Crew’s app to examine the texture of clothing close up, or you’re playing Super Ninja Fruit and want to order a smoothie, these are the shopping apps worth trying.

Uber Eats
Temu
J.Crew Virtual Closet
Mytheresa: Luxury Experience
Zillow Immerse for house hunting

Meditation/Mindfulness

When you think about it, both meditation and VR involve escaping from reality, so why not use the Vision Pro to get away from it all?

Mindfulness by Apple
Endel
Odio sonic spaces
Healium
Lungy: Spaces for breathing exercises
 


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