Discuss spatial computing on Apple platforms and how to design and build an entirely new universe of apps and games for Apple Vision Pro.

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ARKit with 422 pixel format and Apple Log colorspace
Hi, I’m trying to configure camera feed in ARKit to be in Apple Log color space. I can change Capture Device’s format to one that has Apple Log and I see one frame being in proper log-gray colors but then all AR tracking stops and tracking state hangs at “initializing”. In other combinations I see error “sensor failed to initialize” and session restarts with default format. I suspect that this is because normal AR capture formats are 420f, whereas ones that have Apple Log are 422. Could someone confirm if it’s even possible to run ARKit session with camera feed in a different pixel format? I’m trying it on iphone 15 pro
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193
Sep ’25
how to convert mlmodel to reference object?
Hello, I have downloaded and run the sample object tracking app for visionos. Now I'm working on my own objects for tracking. I have made a model using Create ML using images of my object. However, I cannot see how to convert the Create ML output file (xxx.mlmodel) into a reference object like the files in the sample project. is there a tool for converting them? TIA
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Feb ’25
Hand Tracking Latency When UITextView Becomes Active in Vision Pro Immersive Space
I'm placing sphere at finger tip and updating its position as hand move. Finger joint tracking functions correctly, but I’ve observed noticeable latency in hand tracking updates whenever a UITextView becomes active. This lag happens intermittently during app usage, lasting about 5–10 seconds, after which the latency disappears and the sphere starts following the finger joints immediately. When I open the immersive space for the first time, the profiler shows a large performance spike upto 328%. After that, it stabilizes and runs smoothly. Note: I don’t observe any lag when CPU usage spikes to 300% (upon immersive view load) yet the lag still occurs even when CPU usage remains below 100%. I’m using the following code for hand tracking: private func processHandTrackingUpdates() async { for await update in handTracking.anchorUpdates { let handAnchor = update.anchor if handAnchor.isTracked { switch handAnchor.chirality { case .left: leftHandAnchor = handAnchor updateHandJoints(for: handAnchor, with: leftHandJointEntities) case .right: rightHandAnchor = handAnchor updateHandJoints(for: handAnchor, with: rightHandJointEntities) } } else { switch handAnchor.chirality { case .left: leftHandAnchor = nil hideAllJoints(in: leftHandJointEntities) case .right: rightHandAnchor = nil hideAllJoints(in: rightHandJointEntities) } } await MainActor.run { handTrackingData.processNewHandAnchors( leftHand: self.leftHandAnchor, rightHand: self.rightHandAnchor ) } } } And here’s the function I’m using to update the joint positions: private func updateHandJoints( for handAnchor: HandAnchor, with jointEntities: [HandSkeleton.JointName: Entity] ) { guard handAnchor.isTracked else { hideAllJoints(in: jointEntities) return } // Check if the little finger tip and intermediate base are both tracked. if let tipJoint = handAnchor.handSkeleton?.joint(.littleFingerTip), let intermediateBaseJoint = handAnchor.handSkeleton?.joint(.littleFingerIntermediateTip), tipJoint.isTracked, intermediateBaseJoint.isTracked, let pinkySphere = jointEntities[.littleFingerTip] { // Convert joint transforms to world space. let tipTransform = handAnchor.originFromAnchorTransform * tipJoint.anchorFromJointTransform let intermediateBaseTransform = handAnchor.originFromAnchorTransform * intermediateBaseJoint.anchorFromJointTransform // Extract positions from the transforms. let tipPosition = SIMD3<Float>(tipTransform.columns.3.x, tipTransform.columns.3.y, tipTransform.columns.3.z) let intermediateBasePosition = SIMD3<Float>(intermediateBaseTransform.columns.3.x, intermediateBaseTransform.columns.3.y, intermediateBaseTransform.columns.3.z) // Calculate the midpoint. let midpointPosition = (tipPosition + intermediateBasePosition) / 2.0 // Position the sphere at the midpoint and make it visible. pinkySphere.isEnabled = true pinkySphere.transform.translation = midpointPosition } else { // If either joint is not tracked, hide the sphere. jointEntities[.littleFingerTip]?.isEnabled = false } // Update the positions of all other hand joint spheres. for (jointName, entity) in jointEntities { if jointName == .littleFingerTip { // Already handled the pinky above. continue } guard let joint = handAnchor.handSkeleton?.joint(jointName), joint.isTracked else { entity.isEnabled = false continue } entity.isEnabled = true let jointTransform = handAnchor.originFromAnchorTransform * joint.anchorFromJointTransform entity.transform.translation = SIMD3<Float>(jointTransform.columns.3.x, jointTransform.columns.3.y, jointTransform.columns.3.z) } } I’ve attached both a profiler trace and a video recording from Vision Pro that clearly demonstrate the issue. Profiler: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fDWyGj_fgxud2ngkGH_IVmuH_kO-z0XZ Vision Pro Recordings: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17qo3U9ivwYBsbaSm26fjaOokkJApbkz- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LxTxgudMvWDhOqKVuhc3QaHfY_1x8iA0 Has anyone else experienced this behavior? My thought is that there might be some background calculations happening at the OS level causing this latency. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Sep ’25
iOS needs to allow for background bluetooth scanning. I can't fully build my app.
iOS currently restricts background Bluetooth advertising and scanning in order to preserve battery life and protect user privacy. While these restrictions serve important purposes, they also limit legitimate use cases where users have explicitly opted in to proximity-based experiences. The core challenge is that modern social applications need a way to detect when users are physically present at the same location or event without requiring every participant to keep their app in the foreground. Under the current system, background BLE advertising is heavily throttled and can only transmit a limited payload, background scanning intervals are sparse and unpredictable, peer-to-peer proximity detection cannot be maintained reliably when apps are in the background, and Background App Refresh is non-deterministic, making any kind of time-based proximity validation impossible. A proposed enhancement would be to introduce an “Enhanced Proximity Permission.” This would allow developers to enable reliable background BLE advertising and scanning for declared time windows, such as a maximum of eight hours. It would also allow devices running the same app to detect each other’s proximity using ephemeral, rotating identifiers that preserve privacy, with clear user consent and prominent indicators whenever the feature is active. Unlocking this capability would open up new categories of applications. Live events could offer automatic attendance tracking at concerts, conferences, or sports venues. Retail environments could support opt-in foot traffic analysis and dwell-time insights. Social apps could allow users to find friends at festivals, campuses, or other large venues. Safety applications could extend to crowd density monitoring and contact tracing beyond COVID-era needs. Gaming could offer real-world multiplayer experiences based on physical proximity, and transportation providers could verify rideshare pickups or measure public transit flows automatically. Privacy safeguards would remain central. Permissions would be time-boxed and expire after an event or session. A mandatory visual indicator would be displayed whenever proximity tracking is active. A user-facing dashboard would show all apps granted enhanced proximity access. Permissions would automatically be revoked after a period of non-use, and only ephemeral tokens not permanent identifiers would be broadcast. The industry impact would be significant. With this enhancement, iOS could power the next generation of location-aware social platforms while maintaining Apple’s leadership in privacy through explicit user control and transparency. Current alternatives, such as requiring users to keep apps in the foreground or deploying dedicated hardware beacons, produce poor user experiences and constrain innovation in spatial computing and social applications. Can anyone from Apple consider this change? Having to buy iBeacons is brutal and means slower adoption. Please reconsider this for users who opt in.
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1.1k
Sep ’25
High CPU with ARWorldTrackingConfiguration vs. ARBodyTrackingConfiguration using AREnvironmentTexturing
In a simple test, I'm observing ~30% higher CPU usage with the ARWorldTrackingConfiguration compared to the ARBodyTrackingConfiguration when both configurations have AREnvironmentTexturing enabled. In Instruments, I observe Recon3D consuming ~5.5 seconds of CPU time with the ARWorldTrackingConfiguration vs <0.3 second with the ARBodyTrackingConfiguration in two separate 30 seconds samples. This is on an iPhone 12 Pro equipped with lidar. Is there a reason why two separate configurations, both having the same features enabled would have a different CPU overhead?
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Aug ’25
visionOS: Unable to programmatically close child WindowGroup when parent window closes
Hi , I'm struggling with visionOS window management and need help with closing child windows programmatically. App Structure My app has a Main-Sub window hierarchy: AWindow (Home/Main) BWindow (Main feature window) CWindow (Tool window - child of BWindow) Navigation flow: AWindow → BWindow (switch, 1 window on screen) BWindow → CWindow (opens child, 2 windows on screen) I want BWindow and CWindow to be separate movable windows (not sheet/popover) so users can position them independently in space. The Problem CWindow doesn't close when BWindow closes by tapping the X button below the app (next to the window bar) User clicks X on BWindow → BWindow closes but CWindow remains CWindow becomes orphaned on screen Can close CWindow programmatically when switching BWindow back to AWindow App launch issue After closing both windows, CWindow is remembered as last window Reopening app shows only CWindow instead of BWindow User gets stuck in CWindow with no way back to BWindow I've Tried Environment dismissWindow in cleanup but its not working. // In BWindow.swift .onDisappear { if windowManager.isWindowOpen("cWindow") { dismissWindow(id: "cWindow") } } My App Structure Code Now // in MyNameApp.swift @main struct MyNameApp: App { var body: some Scene { WindowGroup(id: "aWindow") { AWindow() } WindowGroup(id: "bWindow") { BWindow() } WindowGroup(id: "cWindow") { CWindow() } } } // WindowStateManager.swift class WindowStateManager: ObservableObject { static let shared = WindowStateManager() @Published private var openWindows: Set<String> = [] @Published private var windowDependencies: [String: String] = [:] private init() {} func markWindowAsOpen(_ id: String) { markWindowAsOpen(id, parent: nil) } func markWindowAsClosed(_ id: String) { openWindows.remove(id) windowDependencies[id] = nil } func isWindowOpen(_ id: String) -> Bool { let isOpen = openWindows.contains(id) return isOpen } func markWindowAsOpen(_ id: String, parent: String? = nil) { openWindows.insert(id) if let parentId = parent { windowDependencies[id] = parentId } } func getParentWindow(of childId: String) -> String? { let parent = windowDependencies[childId] return parent } func getChildWindows(of parentId: String) -> [String] { let children = windowDependencies.compactMap { key, value in value == parentId ? key : nil } return children } func setNextWindowParent(_ parentId: String) { UserDefaults.standard.set(parentId, forKey: "nextWindowParent") } func getAndClearNextWindowParent() -> String? { let parent = UserDefaults.standard.string(forKey: "nextWindowParent") UserDefaults.standard.removeObject(forKey: "nextWindowParent") return parent } func forceCloseChildWindows(of parentId: String) { let children = getChildWindows(of: parentId) for child in children { markWindowAsClosed(child) NotificationCenter.default.post( name: Notification.Name("ForceCloseWindow"), object: nil, userInfo: ["windowId": child] ) forceCloseChildWindows(of: child) } } func hasMainWindowOpen() -> Bool { let mainWindows = ["main", "bWindow"] return mainWindows.contains { isWindowOpen($0) } } func cleanupOrphanWindows() { for (child, parent) in windowDependencies { if isWindowOpen(child) && !isWindowOpen(parent) { NotificationCenter.default.post( name: Notification.Name("ForceCloseWindow"), object: nil, userInfo: ["windowId": child] ) markWindowAsClosed(child) } } } } // BWindow.swift struct BWindow: View { @Environment(\.dismissWindow) private var dismissWindow @ObservedObject private var windowManager = WindowStateManager.shared var body: some View { VStack { Button("Open C Window") { windowManager.setNextWindowParent("bWindow") openWindow(id: "cWindow") } } .onAppear { windowManager.markWindowAsOpen("bWindow") } .onDisappear { windowManager.markWindowAsClosed("bWindow") windowManager.forceCloseChildWindows(of: "bWindow") } .onChange(of: scenePhase) { oldValue, newValue in if newValue == .background || newValue == .inactive { windowManager.forceCloseChildWindows(of: "bWindow") } } } } // CWindow.swift import SwiftUI struct cWindow: View { @ObservedObject private var windowManager = WindowStateManager.shared @State private var shouldClose = false var body: some View { // Content } .onDisappear { windowManager.markWindowAsClosed("cWindow") NotificationCenter.default.removeObserver( self, name: Notification.Name("ForceCloseWindow"), object: nil ) } .onChange(of: scenePhase) { oldValue, newValue in if newValue == .background { } } .onAppear { let parent = windowManager.getAndClearNextWindowParent() windowManager.markWindowAsOpen("cWindow", parent: parent) NotificationCenter.default.addObserver( forName: Notification.Name("ForceCloseWindow"), object: nil, queue: .main) { notification in if let windowId = notification.userInfo?["windowId"] as? String, windowId == "cWindow" { shouldClose = true } } } .onChange(of: shouldClose) { _, newValue in if newValue { dismissWindow() } } } The logs show everything executes correctly, but CWindow remains visible on screen. Questions Why doesn't dismissWindow(id:) work in cleanup scenarios? Is there a proper way to create a window relationships like parent-child relationships in visionOS? How can I ensure main windows open on app launch instead of tool windows? What's the recommended pattern for dependent windows in visionOS? Environment: Xcode 16.2, visionOS 2.0, SwiftUI
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Aug ’25
Adding reference image failed in VisionPro
I am using ARKit to detect image in visionPro. However I met some question about adding the reference image. Some of my images can not be added correctly sometimes. (As you can see in the picture above, the 'orange' can not be added correctly, but the 'cup' can). However, sometimes they will be added without any problem. I do not know why it will happen. And I want they all be added steadily.
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240
Mar ’25
USDZ Security
I am working on an app that will allow a user to load and share their model files (usdz, usda, usdc). I'm looking at security options to prevent bad actors. Are there security or validation methods built into ARKit/RealityKit/CloudKit when loading models or saving them on the cloud? I want to ensure no one can inject any sort of exploit through these file types.
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472
Jul ’25
Convert entity to image
VisionPro 开发,XCode,我想在窗口中找到一个显示模型的图片。这个模型可以改变它的材料,它不是唯一的形象,它正在改变。如何将此模型转换为图像
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72
Apr ’25
VisionOS 26 - threadsPerThreadgroup limit causing crash on device (but not in simulator)
Hi all, I'm running into an issue with an app that previously worked fine on device using visionOS 2.0. After updating to visionOS 26, the same code runs fine in the simulator but crashes on the device with the following error: -[MTLDebugComputeCommandEncoder _validateThreadsPerThreadgroup:]:1330: failed assertion `(threadsPerThreadgroup.width(32) * threadsPerThreadgroup.height(32) * threadsPerThreadgroup.depth(1))(1024) must be <= 832. (kernel threadgroup size limit)` Is there any documented way to check or increase the allowed threadsPerThreadgroup size on Apple Vision Pro? Or any recommended workaround for this regression? Thanks in advance!
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160
Jun ’25
I need to troubleshoot Transform Drift in ARKit
Hi all, I'm currently developing a real-time object reconstruction app using ARKit. The goal is to scan large objects using ARKit’s depth and transform data, and generate a point cloud. However, I’m facing a major challenge - Transform Drift / World Alignment Issues The localToWorld transform provided by ARKit frequently seems to drift or become unstable across frames. This results in misaligned point clouds even when the device is moved slowly or kept relatively still. In some cases, a static surface scanned over a few seconds results in clearly misaligned fragments. This makes it difficult to accurately stitch a multi-frame point cloud. I have experimented with various lighting conditions and object textures, but the issue persists in all cases. At times, the relative error between frames reaches up to 20 cm, while in other instances the error is minimal; however, the drift gradually accumulates over time, leading to an overall enlargement of the reconstructed object. I have attached images of both cases here. Questions: Are there specific conditions under which ARKit’s world transform is expected to drift? Is there a way to detect or recover from this drift during runtime? Any best practices for maintaining consistent tracking during scanning or measurement sessions?
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Jun ’25
Is there any way, I can use the Object Tracking applications on an iOS (iPhone) AR App.
I have been referencing the Object Tracking Tutorial from WWDC 2024 on Vision OS, how Create ML is used to create a reference object, and we can track them in the ARSession. I am looking forward to building this feature on an AR app for iPhone, I am using iPhone 13 Pro Max. I have created couple of reference objects from the Create ML.
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322
Mar ’25
Using AVAsynchronousKeyValueLoading.load() on an AVAssetTrack gives an error
I'm seeing this error while attempting to compile my VisionOS app under Xcode 26. My existing code looks like: let (naturalSize, formatDescriptions, mediaCharacteristics) = try? await videoTrack.load(.naturalSize, .formatDescriptions, .mediaCharacteristics) This is now giving a compiler error: Type of expression is ambiguous without a type annotation I don't see that anything that was changed or deprecated in the latest version. Also loading the properties individually seems to work fine i.e.: let naturalSize = try? await videoTrack.load(.naturalSize) let formatDescriptions = try? await videoTrack.load(.formatDescriptions) let mediaCharacteristics = try? await videoTrack.load(.mediaCharacteristics)
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92
Jun ’25
CustomMaterial disable unlit tone mapping
Hi, since iOS 18 UnlitMaterial and ShaderGraphMaterial have the option to disable tone mapping, e.g via https://developer.apple.com/documentation/realitykit/unlitmaterial/init(applypostprocesstonemap:) Is it possible to do the same for CustomMaterial? I tried initializing a CustomMaterial based on an UnlitMaterial where tone mapping is disabled, like so: let unlitMat = UnlitMaterial(applyPostProcessToneMap: false) let customMaterial = try CustomMaterial( from: unlitMat, surfaceShader: surfaceShader, geometryModifier: geometryModifier ) but that does not seem to work. The colors of my texture still look altered in comparison to a plain UnlitMaterial or a ShaderGraphMaterial where its disabled. Any hints? Thank you!
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119
Jun ’25
VisionOS 26 new hand Tracking: how to use it for replacing hands in a virtual environment.
I am still not finding resources to know how to replace hands in a full immersive Space.... I reached the goal by creating a ARKit session that can detect the USDZ hand mesh Joints and connect to the hand-tracked-joints.... but I feel that's not the best solution... I really want to use the RealityKit potential to track and replace hands (with USDZ skinned ones) in an immersive environment, but the only resources I found are from November 2023.... :( Can someone help me?
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94
Jun ’25
iOS AR Kit Blendshapes on Vision OS
I work on motion capture systems for VTubing. I can't seem to find any information on gaining access to the Face Tracking features on iOS while developing for Vision OS. I would love to bring VStreamer Live to Vision OS
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49
Jun ’25