Apple Vision Pro finally gets YouTube support two years after launch, and there’s still a catch
It's time to dust off your Apple Vision Pro, YouTube just got an official app for visionOS, and it only took two years.
YouTube’s official app for the Apple Vision Pro. | Image by Google
If you don’t own an Apple Vision Pro, or if yours has been collecting dust on the shelf for months, you might not have been aware of the fact that the headset hasn’t had a YouTube app. That major oversight has finally been addressed, but there’s still a catch, and your YouTube experience might not be the same as another Vision Pro user’s.
Until now, Apple Vision Pro users had to make do with using YouTube via a browser on their headset. A third-party app did exist at one point, but Apple removed Juno from the App Store a long time ago. So, until now, there wasn’t actually an official YouTube app on the Vision Pro, a delay exacerbated by the team’s reluctance to develop one after the headset’s poor sales.
Google has finally released YouTube for visionOS on the Apple App Store, two years after the launch of this premium MR (Mixed Reality) headset. Unfortunately, now that there is an M5 Apple Vision Pro in the market, the YouTube experience isn’t equal for all users.
For all intents and purposes, the YouTube app for the Vision Pro is brilliant. The UI is polished, all of the features that you would expect from the desktop and mobile versions are present, and videos anchor in front of you so you can watch them lying down. Immersive 360-degree videos truly transport you to a different world, while standard videos and shorts also play flawlessly.
However, Google has restricted 8K videos to the M5 Vision Pro model only. Though 4K videos will still look fantastic, the Vision Pro is capable of showing higher-resolution videos. In fact, the Apple Immersive video format — designed specifically for the Vision Pro — is recorded in 8K, so we know that the M2 model is capable of 8K playback.
The YouTube app will finally let Vision Pro users experience the video platform in the best way possible, but the lack of an 8K option for the original buyers is definitely going to sting a little.
Apple’s headset hasn’t sold well among average consumers as well as enterprise clients, but the company has really slowed down any progress it could be making, in my opinion.
For example, the immersive content for the Vision Pro is practically being drip-fed to users at this point, perhaps to keep them looking forward to the next 10-minute film and to not put away their headset for good. And though developer-side updates are very welcome, current supply chain reports indicate that the Vision Pro is breathing its last.
I don’t understand why Apple doesn’t release a more affordable version of the Vision Pro. It can easily be done, I believe, by using less premium materials for the construction and reducing the number of redundant sensors. Removing EyeSight — the external display that shows a user’s eyes — would also significantly help reduce costs.
Apple could have looked to the more affordable Samsung Galaxy XR headset for reference. But I suppose the company has decided to wind down work on the Vision Pro entirely in pursuit of consumer-grade AR smart glasses to take on the upcoming Meta Orion glasses next year.
If you want to hear me gush about any such glasses in the works, consider following me on X and Threads.
If you don’t own an Apple Vision Pro, or if yours has been collecting dust on the shelf for months, you might not have been aware of the fact that the headset hasn’t had a YouTube app. That major oversight has finally been addressed, but there’s still a catch, and your YouTube experience might not be the same as another Vision Pro user’s.
YouTube comes to Apple Vision Pro
Until now, Apple Vision Pro users had to make do with using YouTube via a browser on their headset. A third-party app did exist at one point, but Apple removed Juno from the App Store a long time ago. So, until now, there wasn’t actually an official YouTube app on the Vision Pro, a delay exacerbated by the team’s reluctance to develop one after the headset’s poor sales.
Better video quality for the M5 model
At least the app looks very polished for a spatial experience. | Images by Google
For all intents and purposes, the YouTube app for the Vision Pro is brilliant. The UI is polished, all of the features that you would expect from the desktop and mobile versions are present, and videos anchor in front of you so you can watch them lying down. Immersive 360-degree videos truly transport you to a different world, while standard videos and shorts also play flawlessly.
The YouTube app will finally let Vision Pro users experience the video platform in the best way possible, but the lack of an 8K option for the original buyers is definitely going to sting a little.
Why is the Apple Vision Pro worth it in 2026?
This is very slow progress
Apple’s headset hasn’t sold well among average consumers as well as enterprise clients, but the company has really slowed down any progress it could be making, in my opinion.
For example, the immersive content for the Vision Pro is practically being drip-fed to users at this point, perhaps to keep them looking forward to the next 10-minute film and to not put away their headset for good. And though developer-side updates are very welcome, current supply chain reports indicate that the Vision Pro is breathing its last.
I don’t understand why Apple doesn’t release a more affordable version of the Vision Pro. It can easily be done, I believe, by using less premium materials for the construction and reducing the number of redundant sensors. Removing EyeSight — the external display that shows a user’s eyes — would also significantly help reduce costs.
If you want to hear me gush about any such glasses in the works, consider following me on X and Threads.
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