Apple Vision Pro: Compatible and Incompatible Apps for the New Mixed-Reality Headset

Feb 3, 2024 Apple Camera

Apple’s Vision Pro has arrived. The devices launches on Feb. 2 and whether you’ve already ponied up for the mixed-reality headset or plan to order one, you’re probably wondering which applications will be available when you finally get the Vision Pro in your hands.

Interested companies are already lining up: On Jan. 16, Disney announced it will have Disney Plus for the Apple Vision Pro, which will bring 3D movies to Vision Pro users at launch, including Avatar: The Way of Water and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as well as hyperrealistic Disney environments that allow you to watch movies and TV shows in places like Star Wars’ Tatooine and Marvel’s Avengers Tower.

However, not every app you might be hoping for will be accessible on the Vision Pro on Day 1.

In fact, several major companies are choosing to not build exclusive Vision Pro apps for their services, nor make their existing apps compatible, most notably Netflix, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Instead, if you want to use Netflix on the Vision Pro, you’ll have to access it through your web browser, just as you would on your computer.

Not sure if your favorite application will work on the Vision Pro? Here’s a list of which services will and will not work at launch on Apple’s long-awaited headset.

What kind of applications are there on the Vision Pro?

On your iPhone, you can really only download one kind of application, and that’s any app in the App Store that’s designed to run specifically on iOS. With the Vision Pro, it’s a little different. Two types of apps can run on the Apple headset:

  • Compatible apps: These are iOS/iPadOS apps that are not optimized for the headset but will still work on the Vision Pro when it launches. These apps will appear in a window on visionOS.
  • Native apps: These are optimized apps built specifically for visionOS. You’ll get a more immersive experience with these apps on the Vision Pro.

Apple announced that over 600 apps with native support for Vision Pro will be available when the headset launches in the US on Friday. And that’s in addition to the over 1 million compatible apps across both iOS and iPadOS.

However, some apps simply won’t appear on the Vision Pro, because there is no native app nor is the existing iOS/iPadOS app compatible.

Which applications won’t be available on the Vision Pro?

As mentioned above, Netflix is a notable absentee from the Vision Pro. Not only is Netflix not building an app for the Vision Pro but its iPhone/iPad app won’t support VisionOS either. A Netflix spokesperson told Bloomberg, “Our members will be able to enjoy Netflix on the web browser on the Vision Pro, similar to how our members can enjoy Netflix on Macs.”

YouTube is another major service that won’t be building a dedicated app for the Vision Pro. Again, if you want to watch YouTube videos on the Vision Pro, you’ll have to access it via Safari or another web browser. The iPhone/iPad app won’t support VisionOS as well.

Spotify reportedly isn’t planning on developing an app for the Vision Pro or making its iPhone/iPad app accessible either, and Meta may be skipping the headset as well, according to reports.

And which applications will be available on the Vision Pro?

Along with Apple apps such as Apple Arcade (hundreds of games), Apple Music, Apple TV and Safari, at launch, these are a few of the third-party apps that will be available as native or compatible apps on the Vision Pro:

  • Adobe Lightroom (native)
  • Amazon Prime Video
  • Box (native)
  • Crunchyroll (native)
  • Discovery Plus
  • Disney Plus (native)
  • ESPN
  • Fantastical (native)
  • Fubo
  • Imax (native)
  • J.Crew (native)
  • JigSpace (native)
  • Max (native)
  • Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and more) (native)
  • MindNode (native)
  • MLB (native)
  • Mubi (native)
  • Navi (native)
  • NBA (native)
  • Night Sky (native)
  • Numerics (native)
  • Paramount Plus
  • Peacock
  • PGA Tour Vision (native)
  • Pluto TV
  • Red Bull TV (native)
  • Slack (native)
  • TikTok (native)
  • Tubi
  • Zoom (native)
  • Wayfair (native)
  • Webex (native)
  • Zillow Immerse (native)

This is obviously not a complete list, considering there are over a million apps that will work on the Vision Pro. And even if your app doesn’t work with the Vision Pro, like Netflix, you can still access it through Safari or another web browser.

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