YouTube says a Vision Pro app is ‘on the roadmap’

Here’s a small spot of an about-face: YouTube now says it has a Vision Pro app connected its roadmap. I mean this literally, arsenic YouTube spokesperson Jessica Gibby conscionable emailed maine nan pursuing statement: “We’re excited to spot Vision Pro motorboat and we’re supporting it by ensuring YouTube users person a awesome acquisition successful Safari. We do not person immoderate circumstantial plans to stock astatine this time, but tin corroborate that a Vision Pro app is connected our roadmap.”

This of people follows YouTube, Spotify, and Netflix all declining to let their iPad apps to tally connected nan Vision Pro earlier motorboat — and nan past clip we asked, location was nary mention of a due visionOS YouTube app coming successful nan future, truthful something’s changed successful Mountain View. (One theory: nan contiguous fame of Christian Selig’s Juno app for YouTube connected nan Vision Pro.) Gibby didn’t springiness a day for this roadmap, truthful we’ll person to hold and spot what YouTube does present — it could conscionable tweak nan iPad app, aliases it could do a batch more.

One point YouTube and Apple person not done yet is fig retired support for nan ample room of 360 and VR video connected YouTube right now — YouTube has had 3D support since 2011 and 360 support since 2016, but nary of it useful connected nan Vision Pro. (Here I americium interviewing Michelle Obama astatine nan White House successful 360 successful 2016!)

I asked Apple if YouTube’s 360 and 3D videos will ever activity connected nan Vision Pro during our review, and Apple spokesperson Jackie Roy fundamentally told maine they aren’t bully enough, saying that “much of this contented was created for devices that do not present a high-quality spatial experience. In immoderate cases, this contented could besides origin mobility discomfort. We’ve focused our efforts connected delivering nan champion spatial media acquisition imaginable including spatial photos and videos, Apple Immersive Video, and 3D movies disposable connected Apple TV.”

Tough! I asked YouTube if this caller app will support VR and 360 video connected nan Vision Pro and person not heard backmost yet.

Similarly, tons of caller Vision Pro owners are uncovering that, um, other kinds of VR videos don’t activity because Safari’s WebXR support is lacking correct now. (There are characteristic flags, but they don’t look to do much.) WebXR could besides perchance beryllium a pathway to YouTube VR support connected nan web, but again: it doesn’t look to activity correct now.

Apple’s Roy said nan company’s moving connected it, but it sounds for illustration location will beryllium limitations and it will return immoderate time. “WebXR is still a comparatively caller unfastened modular and arsenic specified it doesn’t return afloat advantage of nan power, capacity and relationship capabilities of Apple Vision Pro and visionOS,” she told me. “We’ve been actively contributing to nan W3C web standards including WebXR — for example, proposing relationship standards that protect users’ privacy. We will proceed to activity pinch nan organization to thief present awesome spatial computing experiences via nan web.”

So location you person it: a YouTube app for nan Vision Pro is “on nan roadmap,” but nan timeline is up successful nan air, arsenic is nan timeline for almost each benignant of VR video connected nan web. New platforms, caller problems, you know?

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