Apple is asking developers not to call their AR and VR apps AR or VR apps

With Apple's Vision Pro VR/AR headset going on sale on February 2, we're starting to see more details about the app requirements. For example, the company has issued guidelines for VisionOS developers who plan to release apps, and there is a strange caveat. It is preferable for developers not to use the terms AR and VR when referring to Vision Pro applications, but rather call them “spatial computing applications,” according to Developer page spotted before 9to5Mac.

“Spatial Computing: Refer to your app as a spatial computing app. Do not describe your app experience as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), extended reality (XR), or mixed reality (MR),” the company states. on me. The headset itself should be called “Apple Vision Pro” in three capital words, while “visionOS starts with a lowercase v, even when it's the first word in a sentence.” Apple added that terms should never be translated or translated literally.

Since they will almost certainly be AR and VR apps designed for AR/VR headsets, Apple may want to differentiate its own offerings so that consumers don't confuse apps for other VR/AR headsets, especially Meta's Quest 3, with its own. At the same time, Apple has used these terms extensively to describe the headset, with CEO Tim Cook calling the Vision Pro “Brand new AR platformWhen it launches at WWDC 2023.

In the same document, Apple asked developers to indicate whether AR/VR or ER spatial computing apps contain motions such as quick turns or sudden changes in camera perspective. This way, the product page will display a badge to warn users. He also described the use of privacy stickers and game controllers. As previously mentioned, the Apple Vision Pro headset will arrive on February 2 for $3,495 — a price that will likely only attract enthusiastic buyers.

This article contains affiliate links; If you click this link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission.