I nonetheless clearly bear in mind the sheer frustration of unboxing the unique Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. I used to be holding what was arguably probably the most superior piece of client know-how ever created—a spatial computing marvel with micro-OLED shows that felt like magic. But, once I needed to sit back and watch a high-res video, I hit a weird wall: there was no native YouTube app. For a tool closely marketed round media consumption and immersive video, this absence felt like shopping for a luxurious sports activities automotive solely to appreciate it didn’t include a radio. For 2 whole years, early adopters and even consumers of the second-generation Imaginative and prescient Professional have been compelled to leap by hoops simply to look at their favourite creators.
Nicely, I’m thrilled to report that the standoff is lastly over. Google has formally launched the native YouTube app on the visionOS App Retailer. I instantly downloaded it, spent hours testing the interface, and I’ve to say—this isn’t only a lazy port. Google truly did their homework. Let’s dive into what this implies for the Imaginative and prescient Professional ecosystem, why it took so lengthy, and what this alerts for the way forward for spatial computing.
Why Did It Take Two Years? The Third-Celebration Drama
To grasp why this launch is such an enormous deal, we’ve got to look again on the messy two-year historical past between Google and Apple’s headset.
When the Imaginative and prescient Professional first launched in February 2024, YouTube publicly acknowledged {that a} visionOS app was “on their roadmap,” however supplied no timeline. As an alternative, they informed customers to easily use the Safari internet browser.
When you’ve got ever tried navigating a posh video platform utilizing eye-tracking on an internet browser constructed for a 2D display screen, you already know precisely how clunky it was. You couldn’t correctly interact with 360-degree movies, the interface was inflexible, and the general expertise felt fully disjointed from the seamless magic of visionOS.
The Rise and Fall of Juno
Nature abhors a vacuum, and so do software program builders. Within the absence of an official app, indie builders stepped up. Probably the most well-known instance was Juno, a superbly designed third-party app that gave Imaginative and prescient Professional customers the YouTube expertise they craved.
However in fact, the company hammer ultimately fell. Google aggressively enforced its API insurance policies, leading to Juno being pulled from the App Retailer. Whereas a couple of different workarounds popped up, none supplied the soundness and full function set of an official consumer. We had been left ready in the dead of night—till as we speak.
Not Simply an iPad Port: A True Spatial Expertise
My largest concern once I noticed the obtain button was that Google had merely checked a field permitting the present iPad model of YouTube to run on visionOS. (Taking a look at you, Instagram). Fortunately, I used to be improper.
Google has constructed an interface particularly tailor-made for spatial computing.
The Interface Design
If you launch the app, you aren’t simply taking a look at a flat window. The UI is constructed utilizing spatial panels that float elegantly in your bodily area.
Depth and Shadows: The menus have a way of depth, casting delicate shadows on the video participant behind them.Eye-Monitoring Optimization: The thumbnails and navigation buttons are correctly sized and spaced, which means your eyes can simply lock onto a video with out unintentionally highlighting the improper factor.
Native 3D, 180°, and 360° Video Assist
This is absolutely the game-changer. For 2 years, Imaginative and prescient Professional customers had been locked out of YouTube’s large library of immersive content material.
With the native app, 3D, 180-degree, and full 360-degree VR movies are fully supported. I examined a 360-degree scuba diving video, and the transition from a floating 2D window to a completely wrapped, immersive atmosphere was flawless. The Imaginative and prescient Professional’s shows lastly have a platform large sufficient to feed them high-quality spatial content material. In case you are a VR content material creator, your viewers simply bought a large improve in viewing high quality.
Full Ecosystem Integration
An awesome VR participant is ineffective if you happen to can’t truly discover your content material. Google didn’t maintain again on the account integration.
When you log in, you get the very same highly effective algorithm and have set you might be used to in your cellphone or good TV:
Seamless Sync: Your watch historical past, favored movies, and subscriptions are all completely synced.Customized Suggestions: The house feed is immediately populated along with your particular algorithm.YouTube Shorts Integration: Sure, the doom-scroll has formally entered the spatial period. Google created a devoted, vertically-oriented interface for Shorts. It’s surprisingly snug to drag up a large, life-sized Brief and swipe by utilizing easy finger pinches.
The Larger Image: Google’s XR Technique
So, why now? Why did Google abruptly resolve to drop a extremely polished spatial app after two years of whole silence?
Whereas Google hasn’t launched a proper assertion detailing their strategic timeline, I’ve my theories.
We all know that Google has been aggressively increasing its personal Prolonged Actuality (XR) ambitions. With their ongoing partnerships within the Android XR area (particularly with Samsung to construct a competing headset platform), Google can not afford to have its flagship media platform look hostile to spatial computing.
By constructing a top-tier app for visionOS, Google is basically warming up its spatial design muscle mass. They’re proving that YouTube is prepared for the subsequent technology of computing, no matter whether or not that {hardware} is made by Apple, Samsung, or anybody else. They’re claiming the territory of “default video participant” for your entire XR trade.
The Elephant within the Room: The place is Netflix?
This brings us to the inevitable subsequent query. Now that YouTube has surrendered to the truth of the Imaginative and prescient Professional, all eyes are obvious immediately at Netflix.
Similar to YouTube, Netflix refused to construct a local app for the Imaginative and prescient Professional at launch, forcing customers to rely on the internet browser. And in contrast to YouTube, Netflix doesn’t also have a large library of 360-degree user-generated content material to fret about—they only must construct an awesome 2D spatial theater!
But, as of scripting this, there’s zero official phrase from Netflix relating to a visionOS app. With YouTube now providing a premium spatial expertise, and Disney+ having supplied unimaginable 3D environments since day one, Netflix’s stubbornness is beginning to look much less like a protest and extra like a large missed alternative.
I’m extremely relieved that I can lastly watch my favourite tech reviewers, video essays, and 360-degree journey vlogs natively on my headset. The Imaginative and prescient Professional lastly feels slightly extra full.
However I’ve to ask you: Now that Google has caved, how lengthy do you suppose it would take for Netflix to swallow their pleasure and launch a Imaginative and prescient Professional app? Or do you suppose they may maintain out ceaselessly? Let me know your predictions within the feedback beneath!
