YouTube Launches Native App for Apple Vision Pro
YouTube has released its official, native visionOS application for the Apple Vision Pro headset. The app's launch is seen by reviewers as a key development for the platform, unlocking new methods for creative review, education, and immersive content consumption. The availability of YouTube's full library is expected to position the Vision Pro as a more serious tool for visual and storytelling communities.
- YouTube initially opted not to build a native app for the Vision Pro's 2024 launch, leaving users to access the service via the Safari browser. This created an opening for third-party solutions. - Independent developer Christian Selig, known for the Reddit app Apollo, quickly created a popular third-party YouTube app called Juno. Selig developed the initial version in just a week using the visionOS emulator before the headset was even released. - Juno operated as a web wrapper, using YouTube's embed API to provide a more native-feeling interface than the Safari website, without blocking ads. Selig charged a one-time fee of $5 for the app. - In October 2024, Google requested that Apple remove Juno from the App Store, citing violations of its terms of service related to modifying the user interface. Selig did not plan to appeal the decision. - The official YouTube app supports the platform's full range of formats, including 3D, 180-degree, and 360-degree videos, which were not fully supported through the browser workaround. - The app introduces hardware-specific features, offering 8K video playback exclusively for the second-generation Vision Pro models equipped with the M5 chip. - YouTube's Senior UX Designer, Brendan Polley, stated that the team built an entirely new design system for the visionOS app, isolating core elements to fit spatial layouts rather than just different screen sizes. - For YouTube Premium subscribers, the native app enables the ability to download videos for offline viewing, a feature that was unavailable when using YouTube in the Safari browser.
