I’m glad the Apple Vision Pro hasn’t been forgotten: visionOS 27 is here and it’s super cool

With visionOS 27, your Apple Vision Pro is a more compelling piece of kit than ever before.

Using the Apple Vision Pro
It might not be Apple's most popular device, but it's always an excellent time. | Image by PhoneArena
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The Apple Vision Pro wasn’t mentioned at the Apple event this week. Instead, the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the new foldable iPhone Duo practically stole the spotlight from everything else, even the new products that were announced by CEO John Ternus.

However, that doesn’t mean that the company has forgotten about or is ignoring its excellent MR (Mixed Reality) headset, even if it has reportedly moved down the priority list. The public release of visionOS 27 is coming out on September 14, and it’s a major update that is going to breathe new life into your Vision Pro headset.

A better Siri AI for Apple Vision Pro




Siri has been very limited on the Vision Pro up til now, but this is finally changing with visionOS 27. The new Siri does all of the things that it does on your iPhone, for example:

  • Siri can now answer live queries
  • It can also fetch data from past conversations and images
  • Siri can now look at your surroundings and take action
  • The new Siri app organizes your chats with the bot in one place
  • You can now transform panoramic photos into virtual environments

In short, Siri is now much more capable on the Vision Pro. It’s actually an AI assistant that you would want to use every day.

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Apple’s take on Siri in MR is super futuristic


The new Siri orb — which looks really cool, in my opinion — serves as a direct point of contact between you and the AI assistant in visionOS 27. You can place it anywhere in your world and simply look at it when you wish to talk to Siri.

Apple has also introduced similar features for other tasks. For example, you can now look at a notification that has just come in to expand it and take further action. Dwell Control has picked up a similar update, where instead of waiting for a timer to end, you can just glance up at a selection marker to proceed immediately.

Other new features worth mentioning




In addition, visionOS now comes with the stunning new Thórsmörk environment. Choose it, and you’ll suddenly find yourself all alone at night in the middle of icy surroundings. Above you, the aurora borealis will light up both the skies and the snow-covered ground you’re standing on.

With visionOS 27, you can also curve the multiple windows that you have open and floating in virtual space so that more content is visible at once. The aforementioned feature for converting your own panoramic photos into spatial environments is a very welcome addition as well, according to avid Vision Pro users.



It is worth keeping in mind that, for obvious reasons, your own photos will not make for environments as immersive as the ones that Apple has officially released, like the Thórsmörk environment mentioned above.

A fresh new coat of paint for everyday tasks




The Control Center has gotten a visual overhaul, being divided into three distinct sections which makes reaching for core controls, notifications, and everything else just a little bit simpler now.

One of the best new features, in my opinion, is the support for immersive backgrounds in Safari. Developers of websites can choose to immerse you in a completely different world when you’re browsing their site. A video demonstration of this can be seen here.



Topping it all off are other minor updates that make for an overall better user experience for the Apple Vision Pro, including:

  • You can create games without having to write any code
  • Messages and notifications will sync with your other Apple devices faster now
  • The Vision Pro will connect to WiFi three times quicker than before
  • Instantly connect to your Mac, even when it’s closed
  • New extra-small widget for your favorite apps
  • Customize exactly how your Siri AI sounds
  • Siri can help you compose in whichever app you’re writing in

Catch up on the Apple event:

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