Apple’s next big Vision Pro update, coming in visionOS 26 later this year, is adding the ability for developers to create co-located AR experiences so users can interact with the same app, 3D model, and more.

There probably aren’t a lot of friends and families out there that have one Vision Pro between them, let alone two, making the feature drop most likely something enterprise can get behind, as well as the most ‘pro’ of prosumers.

It’s not just a co-location update though, which would mean you only interact locally. Apple says the upcoming visionOS 26 feature will let users do everything from watch the latest blockbuster movie in 3D and play a spatial game together, but also collaborate with coworkers from near or far.

 

As Apple is wont to do, it’s also integrating the feature with FaceTime, so you can add users from across the globe. FaceTime has had Personas since Vision Pro was released in early 2024, letting users interact using a lifelike avatar across all of the company’s ecosystem of devices.

To boot, Apple showed off the feature with Dassault Systèmes, the engineering and 3D design company, which is using its own 3DLive app to connect remote colleagues and let them visualize 3D designs in AR (seen above).

Apple’s biggest competitor Meta has allowed developers to create co-located apps for consumers since late 2024, when the company released its Horizon OS v71 update, which enabled local multiplayer setups through nearby headset discovery.

This story is breaking, as we’re still learning about the feature. We’re currently at WWDC, so check back for more on all things Vision Pro.

Newsletter graphic

This article may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product we may receive a small commission which helps support the publication. More information.

Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • Christian Schildwaechter

    Co-location support is nice and a somewhat to-be-expected AR feature, but I'm honestly more impressed that they showed it with Dassault Systèmes. They have been around for more than 40 years, coming from the aerospace industry, mostly known for their CATIA engineering CAD solutions. They are less focused on design and more on simulations, and I know a couple of (small) companies in the automobile sector that do all their constructions and material stress calculations with FEM in CATIA.

    So this is a rather technical application. And while a lot of CAD software now includes at least some basic functions for structural analysis, and CAD visualization has always been one obvious use for VR, it is very interesting that Apple managed to position AVP there. This is an area where I'd expect something like the Sony-Siemens cooperation, with Siemens at CES 2025 announcing a USD 4750 bundle of their NX CAD software with Sony's SRH-S1 professional HMD (3552×3840 microOLED, XR2+ Gen 2), not an Apple HMD targeting (rich) consumers.