Discuss spatial computing on Apple platforms and how to design and build an entirely new universe of apps and games for Apple Vision Pro.

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Safari-like toolbar in visionOS
I like the toolbar visionOS's Safari uses for back & forward page, share, etc. It floats above the window. My attempt to do this with ornaments isn't as satisfying as they partially cover the window. My attempts with toolbar haven't produced visible results. Is this Safari-style toolbar for visionOS exposed by Apple in the API's? If so, could someone point me to documentation or sample code? Thanks!
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210
Oct ’25
Build not working
[xrsimulator] Component Compatibility: EnvironmentLightingConfiguration not available for 'xros 1.0', please update 'platforms' array in Package.swift [xrsimulator] Exception thrown during compile: compileFailedBecause(reason: "compatibility faults") Tool exited with code 1
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420
Jan ’25
Setting immerstionStyle while in immersive space breaks all entities.
I have my immersive space set up like: ImmersiveSpace(id: "Theater") { ImmersiveTeleopView() .environment(appModel) .onAppear() { appModel.immersiveSpaceState = .open } .onDisappear { appModel.immersiveSpaceState = .closed } } .immersionStyle(selection: .constant(appModel.immersionStyle.style), in: .mixed, .full) Which allows me to set the immersive style while in the space (from a Picker on a SwiftUI window). The scene responds correctly but a lot of the functionality of my immersive space is gone after the change in style; in that I am no longer able to enable/disable entities (which I also have a toggles for in the SwiftUI window). I have to exit and reenter the immersive space to regain the ability to change the enabled state of my entities. My appModel.immersionStyle is inspired by the Compositor-Services demo (although I am using a RealityView) listed in https://developer.apple.com/documentation/CompositorServices/interacting-with-virtual-content-blended-with-passthrough and looks like this: public enum IStyle: String, CaseIterable, Identifiable { case mixedStyle, fullStyle public var id: Self { self } var style: ImmersionStyle { switch self { case .mixedStyle: return .mixed case .fullStyle: return .full } } } /// Maintains app-wide state @MainActor @Observable class AppModel { // Immersion Style public var immersionStyle: IStyle = .mixedStyle
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225
Oct ’25
Shared/GroupImmersive Space – Query Local Device Transform
Hi, I am in the process of implementing SharePlay into our app. The shared experience opens an Immersive Space and we set systemCoordinator.configuration.supportsGroupImmersiveSpace = true Now visionOS establishes a shared coordinate space for the immersive space. From the docs: To achieve consistent positioning of RealityKit entities across multiple devices in an immersive space during a SharePlay session There are cases where we want to position content in front of the user (independent of the shared session, and for each user individually). Normally to do that we use the transform retrieved via worldTrackingProvider.queryDeviceAnchor.originFromAnchorTransform to position content in front of the user (plus some Z Offset and smooth interpolation). This works fine in non-SharePlay instances and the device transform is where I would expect it to be but during the FaceTime call deviceAnchor.originFromAnchorTransform seems to use the shared origin of the immersive space and then I end up with a transform that might be offset. Here is a video of the issue in action: https://streamable.com/205r2p The blue rect is place using AnchorEntity(.head, trackingMode: .continuous). This works regardless of the call and the entity is always placed based on the head position. The green rect is adjusted on every frame using the transform I get from worldTrackingProvider.queryDeviceAnchor. As you can see it's offset. Is there any way I can query query this transform locally for the user during a FaceTime call? Also I would like to know if it's possible to disable this automatic entity transform syncing behavior? Setting entity.synchronization = nil results in the entity not showing up at all. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/realitykit/synchronizationcomponent Is SynchronizationComponent only relevant for the legacy MultiPeerConnectivity approach? Thank you!
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Oct ’25
Possible to detect multiple images at the same time on VisionPro?
I'm working on a project that uses imageTrackingProvider through ARKit on VisionPro, and I want to detect multiple images(about 5) and show info at the same time. However, I found that it seems only 1 image could be detected by device at one time. And the api of maximumNumberOfTrackedImages doing this seems not available for visionOS but only iOS. Anyone knows possible ways to detect multiple images at the same time on VisionPro?
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454
Oct ’25
RealityView doesn't free up memory after disappearing
Basically, take just the Xcode 26 AR App template, where we put the ContentView as the detail end of a NavigationStack. Opening app, the app uses < 20MB of memory. Tapping on Open AR the memory usage goes up to ~700MB for the AR Scene. Tapping back, the memory stays up at ~700MB. Checking with Debug memory graph I can still see all the RealityKit classes in the memory, like ARView, ARRenderView, ARSessionManager. Here's the sample app to illustrate the issue. PS: To keep memory pressure on the system low, there should be a way of freeing all the memory the AR uses for apps that only occasionally show AR scenes.
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123
Sep ’25
ARKit with 422 pixel format and Apple Log colorspace
Hi, I’m trying to configure camera feed in ARKit to be in Apple Log color space. I can change Capture Device’s format to one that has Apple Log and I see one frame being in proper log-gray colors but then all AR tracking stops and tracking state hangs at “initializing”. In other combinations I see error “sensor failed to initialize” and session restarts with default format. I suspect that this is because normal AR capture formats are 420f, whereas ones that have Apple Log are 422. Could someone confirm if it’s even possible to run ARKit session with camera feed in a different pixel format? I’m trying it on iphone 15 pro
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201
Sep ’25
New Spatial Rendering App on macOS doesn't display on visionOS device
I created a new Spatial Rendering App from the template in Xcode 26.0.1. When I run the app, click 'Show Immersive Space' and select my Vision Pro from the pop-up dialog, the content in the dialog flickers (which seems to indicate something crashed) and nothing appears on my Vision Pro. I'm running the released macOS 26.0 (25A354) and visionOS 26.0 (23M336). Filed as FB20397093.
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340
Sep ’25
Hand Tracking Latency When UITextView Becomes Active in Vision Pro Immersive Space
I'm placing sphere at finger tip and updating its position as hand move. Finger joint tracking functions correctly, but I’ve observed noticeable latency in hand tracking updates whenever a UITextView becomes active. This lag happens intermittently during app usage, lasting about 5–10 seconds, after which the latency disappears and the sphere starts following the finger joints immediately. When I open the immersive space for the first time, the profiler shows a large performance spike upto 328%. After that, it stabilizes and runs smoothly. Note: I don’t observe any lag when CPU usage spikes to 300% (upon immersive view load) yet the lag still occurs even when CPU usage remains below 100%. I’m using the following code for hand tracking: private func processHandTrackingUpdates() async { for await update in handTracking.anchorUpdates { let handAnchor = update.anchor if handAnchor.isTracked { switch handAnchor.chirality { case .left: leftHandAnchor = handAnchor updateHandJoints(for: handAnchor, with: leftHandJointEntities) case .right: rightHandAnchor = handAnchor updateHandJoints(for: handAnchor, with: rightHandJointEntities) } } else { switch handAnchor.chirality { case .left: leftHandAnchor = nil hideAllJoints(in: leftHandJointEntities) case .right: rightHandAnchor = nil hideAllJoints(in: rightHandJointEntities) } } await MainActor.run { handTrackingData.processNewHandAnchors( leftHand: self.leftHandAnchor, rightHand: self.rightHandAnchor ) } } } And here’s the function I’m using to update the joint positions: private func updateHandJoints( for handAnchor: HandAnchor, with jointEntities: [HandSkeleton.JointName: Entity] ) { guard handAnchor.isTracked else { hideAllJoints(in: jointEntities) return } // Check if the little finger tip and intermediate base are both tracked. if let tipJoint = handAnchor.handSkeleton?.joint(.littleFingerTip), let intermediateBaseJoint = handAnchor.handSkeleton?.joint(.littleFingerIntermediateTip), tipJoint.isTracked, intermediateBaseJoint.isTracked, let pinkySphere = jointEntities[.littleFingerTip] { // Convert joint transforms to world space. let tipTransform = handAnchor.originFromAnchorTransform * tipJoint.anchorFromJointTransform let intermediateBaseTransform = handAnchor.originFromAnchorTransform * intermediateBaseJoint.anchorFromJointTransform // Extract positions from the transforms. let tipPosition = SIMD3<Float>(tipTransform.columns.3.x, tipTransform.columns.3.y, tipTransform.columns.3.z) let intermediateBasePosition = SIMD3<Float>(intermediateBaseTransform.columns.3.x, intermediateBaseTransform.columns.3.y, intermediateBaseTransform.columns.3.z) // Calculate the midpoint. let midpointPosition = (tipPosition + intermediateBasePosition) / 2.0 // Position the sphere at the midpoint and make it visible. pinkySphere.isEnabled = true pinkySphere.transform.translation = midpointPosition } else { // If either joint is not tracked, hide the sphere. jointEntities[.littleFingerTip]?.isEnabled = false } // Update the positions of all other hand joint spheres. for (jointName, entity) in jointEntities { if jointName == .littleFingerTip { // Already handled the pinky above. continue } guard let joint = handAnchor.handSkeleton?.joint(jointName), joint.isTracked else { entity.isEnabled = false continue } entity.isEnabled = true let jointTransform = handAnchor.originFromAnchorTransform * joint.anchorFromJointTransform entity.transform.translation = SIMD3<Float>(jointTransform.columns.3.x, jointTransform.columns.3.y, jointTransform.columns.3.z) } } I’ve attached both a profiler trace and a video recording from Vision Pro that clearly demonstrate the issue. Profiler: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fDWyGj_fgxud2ngkGH_IVmuH_kO-z0XZ Vision Pro Recordings: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17qo3U9ivwYBsbaSm26fjaOokkJApbkz- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LxTxgudMvWDhOqKVuhc3QaHfY_1x8iA0 Has anyone else experienced this behavior? My thought is that there might be some background calculations happening at the OS level causing this latency. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Sep ’25
Current Apple Forum about ARKit and visionOS
Recently, questions about ARKit/visionOS seem to be being asked in the Apple forum by internal Apple engineers. Inexperienced and untested makeshift features are being offered, putting average but experienced developers in a difficult position. They are unable to react and get something useful from the posts. Apple needs to review the situation.
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331
Sep ’25
How to read a video stream that includes both the physical world and digital space when obtaining a video stream from VisionPro by applying for the Enterprise API but only reading a video stream that contains both the physical world and digital space
We have successfully obtained the permissions for "Main Camera access" and "Passthrough in screen capture" from Apple. Currently, the video streams we have received are from the physical world and do not include the digital world. How can we obtain video streams from both the physical and digital worlds? thank you!
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94
Apr ’25
AVPlayer stutters when using AVPlayerItemVideoOutput
We’re trying to build a custom player for Unity. For this, we’re using AVPlayer with AVPlayerItemVideoOutput to get textures. However, we noticed that playback is not smooth and the stream often freezes. For testing, we used this 8K video: https://deovr.com/nwfnq1 The video was played using the following code: @objc public func playVideo(urlString: String) { guard let url = URL(string: urlString) else { return } let pItem = AVPlayerItem(url: url) playerItem = pItem pItem.preferredForwardBufferDuration = 10.0 let pixelBufferAttributes: [String: Any] = [ kCVPixelBufferPixelFormatTypeKey as String: kCVPixelFormatType_420YpCbCr8BiPlanarVideoRange, kCVPixelBufferMetalCompatibilityKey as String: true, ] let output = AVPlayerItemVideoOutput( pixelBufferAttributes: pixelBufferAttributes ) pItem.add(output) playerItemObserver = pItem.observe(\.status) { [weak self] pItem, _ in guard pItem.status == .readyToPlay else { return } self?.playerItemObserver = nil self?.player.play() } player = AVPlayer(playerItem: pItem) player.currentItem?.preferredPeakBitRate = 35_000_000 } When AVPlayerItemVideoOutput is attached, the video stutters and the log looks like this: 🟢 Playback likely to keep up 🟡 Buffer ahead: 4.08s | buffer: 4.08s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 4.08s | buffer: 4.08s 🟡 Buffer ahead: -0.07s | buffer: 0.00s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 2.94s | buffer: 3.49s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 2.50s | buffer: 4.06s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 1.74s | buffer: 4.30s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 0.74s | buffer: 4.30s 🟠 Playback may stall 🛑 Buffer empty 🟡 Buffer ahead: 0.09s | buffer: 4.30s 🟠 Playback may stall 🟠 Playback may stall 🛑 Buffer empty 🟠 Playback may stall 🟣 Buffer full 🟡 Buffer ahead: 1.41s | buffer: 1.43s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 1.41s | buffer: 1.43s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 1.07s | buffer: 1.43s 🟣 Buffer full 🟡 Buffer ahead: 0.47s | buffer: 1.65s 🟠 Playback may stall 🛑 Buffer empty 🟡 Buffer ahead: 0.10s | buffer: 1.65s 🟠 Playback may stall 🟡 Buffer ahead: 1.99s | buffer: 2.03s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 1.99s | buffer: 2.03s 🟣 Buffer full 🟣 Buffer full 🟡 Buffer ahead: 1.41s | buffer: 2.00s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 0.68s | buffer: 2.27s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 0.09s | buffer: 2.27s 🟠 Playback may stall 🛑 Buffer empty 🟠 Playback may stall When we remove AVPlayerItemVideoOutput from the player, the video plays smoothly, and the output looks like this: 🟢 Playback likely to keep up 🟡 Buffer ahead: 1.94s | buffer: 1.94s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 1.94s | buffer: 1.94s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 1.22s | buffer: 2.22s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 1.05s | buffer: 3.05s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 1.12s | buffer: 4.12s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 1.18s | buffer: 5.18s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 0.72s | buffer: 5.72s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 1.27s | buffer: 7.28s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 2.09s | buffer: 3.03s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 4.16s | buffer: 6.10s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 6.66s | buffer: 7.09s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 5.66s | buffer: 7.09s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 4.66s | buffer: 7.09s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 4.02s | buffer: 7.45s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 3.62s | buffer: 8.05s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 2.62s | buffer: 8.05s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 2.49s | buffer: 3.53s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 2.43s | buffer: 3.38s 🟡 Buffer ahead: 1.90s | buffer: 3.85s We’ve tried different attribute settings for AVPlayerItemVideoOutput. We also removed all logic related to reading frame data, but the choppy playback still remained. Can you advise whether this is a player issue or if we’re doing something wrong?
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Oct ’25
iOS needs to allow for background bluetooth scanning. I can't fully build my app.
iOS currently restricts background Bluetooth advertising and scanning in order to preserve battery life and protect user privacy. While these restrictions serve important purposes, they also limit legitimate use cases where users have explicitly opted in to proximity-based experiences. The core challenge is that modern social applications need a way to detect when users are physically present at the same location or event without requiring every participant to keep their app in the foreground. Under the current system, background BLE advertising is heavily throttled and can only transmit a limited payload, background scanning intervals are sparse and unpredictable, peer-to-peer proximity detection cannot be maintained reliably when apps are in the background, and Background App Refresh is non-deterministic, making any kind of time-based proximity validation impossible. A proposed enhancement would be to introduce an “Enhanced Proximity Permission.” This would allow developers to enable reliable background BLE advertising and scanning for declared time windows, such as a maximum of eight hours. It would also allow devices running the same app to detect each other’s proximity using ephemeral, rotating identifiers that preserve privacy, with clear user consent and prominent indicators whenever the feature is active. Unlocking this capability would open up new categories of applications. Live events could offer automatic attendance tracking at concerts, conferences, or sports venues. Retail environments could support opt-in foot traffic analysis and dwell-time insights. Social apps could allow users to find friends at festivals, campuses, or other large venues. Safety applications could extend to crowd density monitoring and contact tracing beyond COVID-era needs. Gaming could offer real-world multiplayer experiences based on physical proximity, and transportation providers could verify rideshare pickups or measure public transit flows automatically. Privacy safeguards would remain central. Permissions would be time-boxed and expire after an event or session. A mandatory visual indicator would be displayed whenever proximity tracking is active. A user-facing dashboard would show all apps granted enhanced proximity access. Permissions would automatically be revoked after a period of non-use, and only ephemeral tokens not permanent identifiers would be broadcast. The industry impact would be significant. With this enhancement, iOS could power the next generation of location-aware social platforms while maintaining Apple’s leadership in privacy through explicit user control and transparency. Current alternatives, such as requiring users to keep apps in the foreground or deploying dedicated hardware beacons, produce poor user experiences and constrain innovation in spatial computing and social applications. Can anyone from Apple consider this change? Having to buy iBeacons is brutal and means slower adoption. Please reconsider this for users who opt in.
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1.1k
Sep ’25
How to mix Animation and IKRig in RealityKit
I want an AR character to be able to look at a position while still playing the characters animation. So far, I managed to manually adjust a single bone rotation using skeletalComponent.poses.default = Transform( scale: baseTransform.scale, rotation: lookAtRotation, translation: baseTransform.translation ) which I run at every rendering update, while a full body animation is running. But of course, hardcoding single joints to point into a direction (in my case the head) does not look as nice, as if I were to run some inverse cinematic that includes, hips + neck + head joints. I found some good IKRig code in Composing interactive 3D content with RealityKit and Reality Composer Pro. But when I try to adjust rigs while animations are playing, the animations are usually winning over the IKRig changes to the mesh.
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510
Aug ’25
Need to rotate child of a 3D mesh
I am creating a vision pro app with a 3D model, it has a mesh hierarchy of head, hands, feet etc. I want the character to look towards the camera, but am not able to access head of character through sceneKit nor reality kit. when I try to print names of the child meshes, it only prints till the character, it does iterate through all the body parts. Can anyone help?
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177
Sep ’25