Apple Seeds visionOS 2 Beta 8 With Spatial Photos, Guest Users and Home View Customization

Apple Intelligence on Vision Pro remains a question, not an answer
Beta 8 adds features but says nothing about whether Apple Intelligence will reach the headset.
Mark

Beta 8 sounds like a minor release. Why does it matter?

Mimi

Because it collects things Vision Pro owners were waiting on: spatial photos made from your existing library, a Home View you can rearrange, and new hand gestures for the Control Center.

Mark

The spatial photos part seems personal.

Mimi

It is. You can turn photos already in your Photos app into spatial ones, so old memories come along.

Mark

And the Guest User feature?

Mimi

It lets a family member or colleague borrow the headset, and their eye and hand data is saved for 30 days.

Luke

Worth noting that the source doesn't say what that data is used for, or whether it can be deleted earlier. We only know the 30-day figure.

Mark

What about the five-stream sports viewing?

Luke

That one is promised for later this year. It's not in this beta, so nobody should treat it as available today.

Mark

And Apple Intelligence?

Luke

Unconfirmed. The article says users are waiting to see if it comes, which is not the same as saying it will.

Mimi

So the practical takeaway is modest: a more usable headset now, with bigger questions still pending.

  • Owners of Vision Pro are waiting on a software update that still leaves the biggest question about Apple Intelligence unanswered.
  • Beta 8 quietly delivers long-requested tools, letting users turn library photos into spatial images and rearrange the Home View freely.
  • New hand gestures and a Guest User mode with 30-day data retention are being put in place to make the headset easier to share and navigate.
  • Multiview sports streaming with up to five simultaneous feeds is promised for later this year, and its arrival is the next thing to watch.

Apple has pushed the eighth test build of visionOS 2 to Vision Pro owners, a modest entry in a long series of trial releases that gradually shape how people use a new kind of device. The update matters less for what it dramatically adds than for how it fills in features users had been waiting on, from turning old photographs into spatial memories to letting people arrange their own home screen. Beneath it all sits a question the headset's owners keep asking: whether Apple Intelligence will ever arrive, and this release offers no answer.

Apple sent the eighth beta of visionOS 2 to Vision Pro users this week. It is a small step in a long run of test builds, and it arrives while owners still wait to learn whether Apple Intelligence will reach the headset. This release does not settle that question.

BGR's account is candid that beta 8 is not a big leap. What it does is fill gaps that users had been pointing to. People can now make spatial photos from images already in their Photos library, so older memories can be revisited in the headset, not just new captures. The Home View can also be personalized, with apps rearranged anywhere the user likes, including apps from a nearby iPhone or iPad.

Navigation has been reworked too. New hand gestures open the Home View and Control Center faster, and others show the time and battery level at a glance or adjust volume. A Travel mode for trains lets favorite apps stay in use on the move. For moments when someone wants to hand the headset to a family member or colleague, a Guest User option has been added, and that guest's eye and hand data is kept for 30 days.

Entertainment gets attention as well. The Apple TV app brings multiview to Vision Pro for sports fans, allowing up to five simultaneous streams later this year. That feature is not in this beta. The Mindfulness app gains Follow Your Breathing, with animations and sounds that respond to the wearer's breathing.

The same week, Apple released eighth test builds of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, macOS Sequoia, and tvOS 18. For now, the open questions are whether multiview arrives on schedule and whether Apple says anything about bringing Apple Intelligence to the headset.

Apple pushed the eighth beta of visionOS 2 out to Vision Pro users this week, a small step in a long run of test builds, and one that arrives while owners wait to learn whether the headset will ever get Apple Intelligence. That question remains open. Nothing in this release answers it.

BGR's account of the update is candid about its size: beta 8 does not bring many new features. What it does is fill in several functions that Vision Pro users had been waiting for, and the list of what the software now covers is the more useful way to read it.

The first is spatial photos. Under visionOS 2, people can make spatial photos directly from images already in their library in the Photos app, which means older memories can be revisited in the headset rather than only new captures.

The second is the Home View, which users can now personalize. Apps can be rearranged and placed wherever the user wants, and that includes apps from a compatible iPhone or iPad.

Navigation also changes. New hand gestures give faster access to frequently used features such as the Home View and the Control Center. Other gestures surface information at a glance, like the current time and battery level, and let the wearer do things such as adjust the volume. For people on the move, there is a new Travel mode designed for trains, so favorite apps can be used on the go.

Beta 8 also adds a Guest User option for those moments when someone wants to hand over their Vision Pro. A family member or colleague can be added as a guest, and that person's eye and hand data is saved for 30 days.

Entertainment gets attention too. The Apple TV app brings multiview support to Vision Pro, aimed at sports viewing. Later this year, fans will be able to watch up to five simultaneous streams to keep up with their favorite sports and teams. The feature is described as coming later, not as something available in this beta.

The Mindfulness app gains a capability called Follow Your Breathing. It presents dynamic visual animations and sounds that respond to the user's breathing patterns, intended to help with calm and focus.

Vision Pro was not the only device to get a new build. Apple released the eighth test versions of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, macOS Sequoia, and tvOS 18 alongside it. What to watch next: whether multiview arrives on its promised schedule later this year, and whether Apple says anything about bringing Apple Intelligence to the headset.

The update doesn't bring many new features but addresses several functions users were waiting for.
— BGR (paraphrased)
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