Apple Vision Pro has added a new feature that could make collaborating with others feel more realistic, even if you’re inside the headset.
The feature, called Spatial Personas, will now allow Apple Vision Pro owners to collaborate while everyone uses a Vision Pro, thanks to FaceTime and expanded use of SharePlay.
By turning on Vision Pro, users can start a FaceTime call with another person and choose the Spatial Persona option to start their spatial call. From there, they can open an app, like Freeform, or watch movies or TV shows with the people they’re talking to. To collaborate with each other, users will need to choose the SharePlay option in apps that support it.
If this feature sounds familiar, it’s because Apple introduced its Spatial Personas feature last year. However, when the Apple Vision Pro was released, the feature was conspicuously absent. It’s unclear why Apple didn’t release Spatial Personas at launch, but it will now be available as part of the free visionOS 1.1 update.
Spatial Personas is a decidedly interesting, if not otherworldly, type of experience. Apple says each user can control their own viewing experience and can reposition the content everyone is watching without interrupting anyone else. The feature also takes advantage of Spatial Audio, so if someone to your right during a Spatial People call is speaking, their voice will come from that direction. When you look, you’ll see her face and her gestures as if they were in the room with you.
Apple has shared a video of Spatial Personas in action (seen above), featuring three people discussing a topic in freeform. The viewer can see two people sitting around a table and interacting with the app in front of them. They talk as if they were all sitting together around a table in the real world.
Still, there are some limitations. For one thing, Spatial Personas is currently limited to five participants. It’s also unclear when, or even if, Apple will raise that limit. And while Apple apps offer SharePlay connectivity, that’s not necessarily the case with third-party apps. Apple says developers are starting to use the feature, but it’s unknown how long it will take until the vast majority of apps support it.
Still, it’s an interesting way to interact with other people while using the Vision Pro. And it’s now available for any Vision Pro owner to check out.
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