Apple Intelligence finally arrives on Vision Pro, but it's the new iOS app that might turn heads

(Image credit: Future / Dan Ulanoff)

Apple’s most expensive piece of consumer hardware is finally getting Apple Intelligence. The latest visionOS 2.4 update, which becomes available as a developer beta today (February 18, 2025), brings Apple’s brand of artificial intelligence to Vision Pro devices, though for now, it’s only for US English devices.

The move instantly helps better position the spatial computing platform against the upcoming Project Moohan headset, a mixed-reality device from Google, Samsung, and Qualcomm that promises to put Google Gemini at the center of the experience. The move by Apple also lowers some frustration from Vision Pro owners who were wondering why Apple’s most advanced consumer technology was lacking a feature that is on all models of the iPhone 16, many iPads, and MacBooks.

As has often been the case with the Apple Intelligence rollout, the update does not include every feature you’ll likely soon find on iOS 18.4-supporting iPhones. However, it does include more than what we got on the initial iPhone Apple Intelligence rollout.

You may like

Key new features include:

Writing tools across Vision Pro’s native apps
Genmojis
Image Playground
ChatGPT access

Image 1 of 4

Apple Intelligence on Vision Pro — Genmojis in Vision Pro(Image credit: Apple)

More importantly, these features will integrate with Vision Pro’s native functions, including voice and gestures.

What’s missing here is any kind of Siri update beyond the current digital assistant features, an exclusion that might frustrate some. On the other hand, now that Apple has opened the door to the Apple Intelligence on Vision Pro, numerous updates are sure to follow.

So, whatever Siri features you see in the iPhone 16 with iOS 18.4, they’re sure to eventually arrive on Vision Pro. We’d look forward to seeing a version that is aware of activities on the mixed reality headset and can take intelligent action based on what it sees through the device's multiple cameras and sensors (something that we expect from Project Moohan, whenever it finally ships).

With the visionOS 2.4 update, users will be able to use voice prompts to request writing changes like, “Make it more friendly,” and they'll get rewriting and proofreading assistance. Image Playground will be integrated into Messages, just like iOS. Smart Replies will be able to look at the contents of a message thread and create a contextual response. And you’ll be able to use voice prompts to create Movie Memories. Those obviously exist on the iPhone but may take on a new dimension thanks to the Vision Pro’s immersive field of view.

Ease and access

Apple is also making several other changes to better connect your iPhone and Vison Pro experiences. The most notable one might be the new Vision Pro App on iOS, a utility that Apple arguably should have delivered when it launched the headset over a year ago.

Think of the app as similar in some ways to the iPhone Watch App.

The Vision Pro app acts as both a promotional tool for fresh Vision Pro content and spatial experiences but also a place where you can take remote actions. You can, for instance, use the app to add movies to watchlists, trigger app downloads, and learn details about your headset, like serial number, software version, and the prescription for your Zeiss lens inserts (if you have them). The app is set to arrive with iOS 18.4 and only installs if the system knows you have a Vision Pro.

Apple Vision Pro Guest Mode on iPhone — (Image credit: Apple)

Apple seems to be doing a lot of work to widen the Vision Pro tent. To that end, Guest Mode gets a valuable update that should ease the sharing process. With visionOS 2.4, Vision Pro owners can simply hand someone their Vision Pro. When the guest puts it on, a message appears on the Vision Pro owner’s iPhone or iPad, letting them enable sharing from there and choose which apps to share.

Inside Vision Pro, users will find a new Spatial Gallery app offering curated spatial content, including photos, videos, and panoramas, cutting across multiple genres like sports, entertainment, and travel.

Without a doubt, this is one of Vision Pro’s most significant upgrades, and much of it is designed to help the headset better compete with upcoming devices from Google, Samsung, Meta, and others. None of it addresses the hefty $3,499.99 price tag, but at least there are now even more good reasons to make the investment.

See more Computing News

TOPICS

A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.

Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Mark, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC.