Apple Expands Safari to Support Spatial Content on Vision Pro

Apple is moving to expand Safari’s capabilities on Vision Pro by integrating support for spatial photos and videos, making it easier for web developers to add immersive visual content to their sites. This marks a notable step in Apple’s broader strategy to leverage Vision Pro’s potential in reshaping visual content. Following the release of the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple enabled spatial video capture and further improved this with the iPhone 16, which was built to capture both spatial photos and videos right from the start. Recently, a software update also enabled the iPhone 15 Pro to shoot spatial photos, advancing the creation of 3D content across devices.

Currently, spatial content viewing is limited to direct access on Vision Pro devices. Users must either view files stored on the device or shared through iMessage, AirDrop, or similar methods. Recognizing that greater accessibility is key to increasing the popularity of spatial content, Apple plans to bring native support for spatial media in Safari, a significant upgrade for Vision Pro users.

In an interview with Apple’s Product Manager Della Huff and Design Team’s Billy Sorrentino, they disclosed that the WebKit enabling Safari to display spatial photos and videos on Vision Pro would be available later this year. This would mean, for instance, that spatial images embedded in online articles could display depth and a three-dimensional quality when viewed through Vision Pro’s Safari browser, transforming the experience for users. For readers not using Vision Pro, the images would remain in their standard two-dimensional format, ensuring a seamless experience across devices.

According to Huff, the flexibility of spatial photos is preserved; content remains adaptable to both spatial and 2D formats depending on the viewing platform. Sorrentino adds that users can even convert older images or historical photos into spatial content using Vision Pro, potentially allowing for a more immersive viewing experience of everything from product reviews to historical events.

Apple’s new WebKit will allow developers to enhance their sites with spatial content, marking a significant advancement in visual media for Vision Pro users.