YouTube reportedly has an Apple Vision Pro app on its roadmap

Google reportedly plans to develop a YouTube app for the Apple Vision Pro. The Verge says a YouTube spokesperson confirmed the corporate’s plans to make a local Imaginative and prescient Professional app, whereas it optimizes YouTube for Safari as a stopgap. The U-turn comes after developer Christian Selig (creator of the favored Apollo app that Reddit killed in 2023) launched an unofficial YouTube app for Apple’s $3,500 headset.

“We’re excited to see Imaginative and prescient Professional launch and we’re supporting it by guaranteeing YouTube customers have an excellent expertise in Safari,” YouTube spokesperson Jessica Gibby reportedly wrote in an e-mail to The Verge’s Nilay Patel. “We shouldn’t have any particular plans to share at the moment, however can affirm {that a} Imaginative and prescient Professional app is on our roadmap.”

Regardless of Imaginative and prescient Professional launching with over 600 native apps, YouTube stated as not too long ago as January 19 that it had no plans for a Vision Pro app. (Netflix is another high-profile holdout.) As well as, a YouTube firm spokesperson instructed Engadget on the time it additionally had no plans to make its iPad app obtainable on the visionOS App Retailer. Porting iPad apps is the (comparatively) fast and simple means for builders to get their software program onto Apple’s “spatial computing” device.

One thing modified the corporate’s thoughts within the final two-and-a-half weeks. One principle is, regardless of its staggering $3,500 worth, Apple’s combined actuality headset appears to be off to a strong start as the corporate’s most loyal and deep-pocketed followers rapidly scooped up pre-orders. Effectively-sourced analyst Ming-Chi Kuo estimated Apple offered someplace between 160,000 and 180,000 headsets throughout its opening weekend.

One other principle is that YouTube seen an unbiased developer selecting up its slack. Christian Selig, the maker of the now-defunct Apollo for Reddit app, launched an unofficial third-party YouTube app referred to as Juno that was obtainable at launch. Selig has important belief and stature amongst Apple gadget customers: He’s a former Apple developer and creator of one in every of iOS customers’ favourite Reddit apps (earlier than the corporate’s controversial API rules successfully killed most third-party Reddit apps).

“YouTube might be one of many components of the web I devour probably the most, so I used to be greater than somewhat unhappy when YouTube introduced that they don’t have plans to construct a visionOS app, and disabled the choice to load the iPad app,” Selig defined final week in a blog post. “This leaves you with Safari, and the web site is okay, however positively doesn’t really feel like a visionOS app.”

YouTube helps 3D and 360-degree movies, however neither at the moment works on Imaginative and prescient Professional. It isn’t but clear if the corporate plans to include these into its app.