Bold headline: YouTube lands on Apple Vision Pro—but not without a two-year detour that finally ends today.
But here’s where it gets controversial… YouTube has finally released a native app for Apple Vision Pro, two years after Google first teased it. Since the headset’s debut, watching YouTube required a web browser, an indirect workaround, or third-party options. The new app changes that by delivering a full YouTube experience directly in visionOS.
What’s inside the app? It supports all standard YouTube formats, including 3D, 360-degree, and VR180 videos. You can also watch Shorts, though they won’t feel as immersive as longer videos. Your usual YouTube ecosystem remains intact: your watch history, your subscriptions, your playlists, and more are accessible from the headset. Each video can be enjoyed within Apple’s visionOS environments for a native-feel experience.
For Vision Pro owners with the latest M5 model, YouTube can stream 8K footage—though high-resolution content at that level is still surprisingly scarce on the platform. The broader point: 8K TVs themselves aren’t thriving, in part because there isn’t enough 8K content to justify the hype. Still, the option exists on compatible Vision Pro devices.
Availability and rollout: The YouTube app is now downloadable from the Apple App Store for visionOS devices. Google had kept quiet about official visionOS app support until the headset’s February 2024 launch window, when it publicly indicated a YouTube version was in the roadmap. It isn’t clear why the release timing shifted, but it may align with the Vision Pro’s two-year anniversary.
Context and alternatives: When the headset first arrived, YouTube suggested watching via Safari. Meanwhile, third-party developers created unofficial apps to bypass the browser and offer a more native experience. Notably, Christian Selig—the creator of Apollo for Reddit—launched Juno to stream YouTube directly, but Apple removed Juno in late 2024 after Google claimed API and trademark violations.
In short: YouTube’s native Vision Pro app closes a long-standing gap, delivering a more seamless, immersive viewing experience on visionOS while highlighting ongoing debates about app ecosystems, platform control, and the pace of official vs. third-party solutions. Do you think a native app was overdue, or would you prefer more feature parity with other platforms before making a move to visionOS? Share your take in the comments.
