Apple Announces Major Upgrade to Vision Pro Personas

Apple Announces Major Upgrade to Vision Pro Personas

A new feature has been added to the Apple Vision Pro that makes collaborating with others while in the headset feel more real.

Named Spatial Persona, this feature allows Apple Vision Pro owners to collaborate while wearing the Vision Pro, with expanded use of FaceTime and SharePlay.

Once the Vision Pro is attached, users can initiate a FaceTime call with someone and select the Spatial Persona option to initiate a spatial call. From there, they can open an app like Freeform or watch a movie or TV show. To collaborate with each other, you need to select the SharePlay option in the app that supports it.

If this feature sounds familiar, that's because Apple showed off its Spatial Personas feature last year. However, when the Apple Vision Pro was launched, this feature was not prominent. It is unclear why Apple did not release Spatial Personas at launch, but it will be available as part of the free visionOS 1.1 update.

Spatial Personas is clearly an interesting, if not otherworldly, type of experience. According to Apple, each user can control his or her own viewing experience and can change the location of the content that everyone is engrossed in without disturbing other users. This feature also takes advantage of Spatial Audio, so if someone to the right is talking during a Spatial Personas call, that person's voice will be heard from that direction. Also, because this feature leverages Spatial Audio, if someone to your right is speaking during a Spatial Personas call, you will hear that person's voice coming from that direction.

Apple has released a video (pictured above) of Spatial Personas in action. Viewers can see two people sitting around a table and interacting with the application in front of them. They are talking as if they are all sitting around a table in the real world.

Still, there are some limitations. One is that Spatial Personas is currently limited to five participants. It is unclear when or if Apple will increase this limit. Also, while Apple's apps offer SharePlay connectivity, this is not always the case with third-party apps. According to Apple, developers are beginning to use this feature, but it is unclear how long it will take for the majority of apps to support it.

Still, it's an interesting way to engage with others while wearing a Vision Pro; if you're a Vision Pro owner, you can check it out now.

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