Apple launched its first spatial computer — the Apple Vision Pro — at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month. The mixed reality headset supports both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) content, and uses a feature called EyeSight to allow users to view their surroundings using the sensors surrounding the battery-powered device. Users can switch between AR and VR modes with the help of the dial on the right edge of the wearable. The company also released the visionOS SDK on Wednesday to help developers build apps specifically for the headset, which will reportedly feature a “guest” mode.
Spotted by 9to5Mac on the recently released visionOS SDK. this guest mode will allow people to use an Apple Vision Pro headset, even though it is registered to a specific user. Owners of the Vision Pro will reportedly be offered the option to enable or disable this feature. The headset can also be secured by the owner, according to the report, so that guest users are not able to access some applications or settings without Optic ID — Apple’s security feature that scans the wearer’s iris for biometric authentication.
Apple Vision Pro is priced at a hefty $3,499 (roughly Rs. 2,88,700) and is scheduled to go on sale next year via the Apple website and Apple retail stores in the US. The company has not yet confirmed whether it plans to launch the headset in markets outside the US, including India.
However, given the steep price, it is safe to assume that not everyone will opt to buy the Apple Vision Pro and it is unlikely that more than one person in a household will invest in the device. Therefore, the Guest Mode might actually be useful to Vision Pro owners, allowing more than one person to experience the headset while protecting the owner’s data.
The report suggests that the Apple Vision Pro will offer owners the option to lock hidden and deleted photos or other files using Optic ID. The functioning of this is similar to the Touch ID- or Face ID-based protection used to protect specific folders in the Photos app on an iPhone. We can expect to learn more about the guest mode on the Apple Vision Pro headset in the coming months, before the device goes on sale in the US next year.