Apple’s visionOS Updates: New Widgets & Personas at WWDC

▼ Summary
– Apple’s visionOS 26 introduces spatial widgets that integrate into your environment, offering customizable size, color, and depth, including new widgets like a clock, weather, music, and photos.
– The Photos app in visionOS 26 uses AI to add depth to 2D images, creating a more immersive experience where users can “lean right into them and look around.”
– Personas in visionOS 26 are enhanced with volumetric rendering and machine learning for more realistic avatars, improving details like hair, eyelashes, and complexion, all created on-device in seconds.
– visionOS 26 enables shared experiences like watching movies or playing spatial games with others, and supports enterprise collaboration, such as visualizing 3D designs with remote colleagues.
– New features in visionOS 26 include multi-language support, “look to scroll” navigation, iPhone unlocking while wearing the headset, and relayed calls from iPhone to Apple Vision Pro.
Apple’s latest visionOS 26 update introduces groundbreaking enhancements for its mixed reality headset, delivering smarter widgets, lifelike avatars, and immersive collaboration tools. Unveiled at WWDC, these upgrades refine the Apple Vision Pro experience, blending digital innovation with practical functionality for both personal and professional use.
Spatial widgets now adapt seamlessly to users’ environments, offering customizable sizes, colors, and depths. Whether it’s a dynamic clock, weather updates, or a music player, these widgets integrate naturally into physical spaces. The Photos app also gets a boost with AI-powered depth effects, transforming flat images into interactive scenes that respond to movement.
Safari’s spatial browsing feature elevates web navigation, minimizing distractions while highlighting visuals that animate as users scroll. Developers can incorporate this technology into their apps, opening new possibilities for engaging content.
Personas, Apple’s AI-driven avatars, receive a major overhaul, appearing more realistic thanks to advanced volumetric rendering and machine learning. These digital representations now capture finer details like hair texture and facial expressions, all processed on-device within seconds.
For shared experiences, visionOS 26 enables collaborative viewing and gaming, whether with friends or colleagues. Enterprise users can leverage tools like Dassault Systèmes’ 3DLive app for real-time 3D design reviews. Device sharing is streamlined, with personalized settings securely stored on iPhones for quick access to shared headsets.
New enterprise APIs and privacy features ensure sensitive data remains protected, while Logitech Muse introduces precision input for 3D collaboration. The update also expands language support and introduces intuitive controls like eye-tracking navigation and seamless iPhone integration.
With these advancements, Apple continues to push the boundaries of mixed reality, making the Vision Pro an even more versatile tool for work and play.
(Source: TechCrunch)