MacRumors editors spent a full week exploring the Apple Vision Pro augmented reality headset to assemble a definitive list of the ten apps that showcase the device’s capabilities most effectively. At the time of the device’s release, roughly 600 apps were available in the Vision Pro App Store, giving reviewers a broad field to evaluate how software leverages spatial computing, eye-tracking, and hand-gesture controls on this platform.
Spatial Camera — This app streams the iPhone camera feed directly to the Vision Pro in real time, enabling users to monitor activity from a mixed-reality perspective. It also doubles as a practical tool for watching children or pets from afar, with the iPhone serving as a compact monitoring device that integrates seamlessly into the Vision Pro environment.
Juno for YouTube — Positioned as a VisionOS alternative to the YouTube experience, Juno for YouTube serves many users who lack a native YouTube app for Vision Pro. The interface is designed for the headset, offering a cleaner, more comfortable exploration of video content than the mobile Safari version and providing a more immersive viewing experience without navigating a web page.
Crouton — A culinary companion built for Vision Pro, Crouton stores recipes in a format optimized for headset viewing. It acts as a hands-free serving assistant, guiding cooks through ingredients and steps while keeping the kitchen space organized and visually clear in mixed reality.
Blackbox — A visually rich puzzle game that invites players to manipulate spheres, bubbles, and other objects within immersive environments. Blackbox highlights the headset’s entertainment potential, using spatial cues and responsive audio to create a memorable, exploratory puzzle experience.
Spatial Symphony — This casual music editor leverages Vision Pro’s spatial interface to let users craft sounds with simple hand movements. Users can bend pitches, adjust volumes, and shape textures in air, turning the headset into a creative studio that feels physically interactive rather than purely digital.
NowPlaying — An engaging music player built for Vision Pro, NowPlaying streamlines Apple Music with avant-garde visual effects. It presents album artwork, lyrics, and contextual facts about tracks, all integrated into a visually compelling listening experience.
SynthRiders — A rhythm-based game where players align their hand movements with incoming colored balls, matching the beat to the music. The game borrows the fast-paced energy of popular rhythm titles and adapts it to Vision Pro’s 3D space, offering an energetic, physical mode of play similar to other VR rhythm games.
FloatNotes — A free utility that lets users place lightweight sticky notes anywhere within their Vision Pro workspace. FloatNotes facilitates quick idea capture, reminders, and collaboration by keeping essential notes visible as users move through apps and tasks in mixed reality.
Shortcut Buttons — This app enables users to create configurable shortcut buttons that can be positioned anywhere in the user’s field of view and launched with a single tap. It streamlines workflows by providing rapid access to frequently used actions, apps, or settings in Vision Pro.
PGA Tour Vision — A golf-focused companion that lets players study hole patterns and course layouts. The app offers rotatable 3D models, detailed hole analysis, leaderboard access, and playback videos, delivering a rich, data-driven approach to planning shots and improving performance on the course.
In review, these titles collectively illustrate how Vision Pro can blend practical productivity, creative expression, and playful entertainment. The platform’s capacity to merge real-world visuals with digital overlays creates new ways to learn, explore, and interact with media. The Spirit of Vision Pro, as observed by analysts, lies in immersive interaction—where spatial awareness, gesture control, and contextual information converge to expand what users can do with digital content, both at work and at play. [Citation: MacRumors compilation of top apps and platform capabilities]