The Apple Vision Pro was the protagonist of the “One More Thing” latest in history. That expression, so habitual in Steve Jobs to surprise everyone with new products, served to announce a device that is already making people talk before it is even available on the market. But in the meantime, we can content with the simulator from Apple Vision Pro.
Before Apple Vision Pro is available to all consumers, application developers they will have had time to launch their own creations adapted to this augmented reality system. Or as Apple calls it, spatial computing. And for this it is necessary to have the appropriate software tools. In the case of Apple, the SDKs either Software Development Kitsoftware development kit.
Precisely, yesterday Apple published a press release announcing a new version of the SDK included in the xcode 15 beta 2the software package that includes everything a developer needs to work with Apple operating systems: from macOS to iOS through watchOS, tvOS and, onwards, visionOS. In other words, with the new SDK it is possible to create apps for visionOS, the Vision Pro operating system. And best of all, it is also includes an Apple Vision Pro simulator to test it from your Mac, even if you don’t have a Vision Pro device at hand.
What do you need Xcode for?
Apple’s note says so. “Apple announced today that they are now available new software tools and technologies with which developers can create revolutionary apps for Apple Vision Pro, the first space computer from Apple”. This means that you can now download the umpteenth version of Xcode, the software that brings together the developer tools that Apple offers so that anyone can produce applications for its ecosystem. For example, the iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS SDKs, technologies like DriverKit, the Swift programming language, and iOS, tvOS, or watchOS simulators or emulators.
xcode it serves for all Apple platforms, so if we want to test visionOS, even if it is in the form of an Apple Vision Pro simulator, we will have to download and install Xcode, available exclusively for Mac. The latest stable version, Xcode 15, requires at least a Mac with macOS Ventura 13.3. In addition to the SDK and the simulator, Apple has already put the entire necessary documentation for meet visionOS and help developers understand how this new operating system works.
How to get the visionOS SDK
And if what you want is the visionOS SDK and its simulator, you will need Xcode 15 beta 2. As is often the case with beta versions of Apple applications, to download them you need to be a member of the Apple Developer Program. That is, having an Apple account registered in its developer program. And then access the trial software from this link. Make sure you have enough disk space. Note that the visionOS SDK, for example, occupies almost 7 GB. Xcode 15 beta 2 with visionOS 1 beta occupies, only the installer, almost 10GB.
In short, to get the visionOS SDKs and the apple vision pro simulator:
- You need a Mac with macOS Ventura 13.3
- You need an Apple account registered in Apple Developer Program
- If you are not registered, you can do it from here. It is free and relatively fast. Of course, it will ask you to register two-factor authentication
- Go to the page beta downloads for apple developers
- will ask you to log in with your Apple account
- Choose the download xcode 15 beta 2 without marking any platform
- You can download the platform from there but we are going to download from xcode
- It will download a file called Xcode_15_beta_2.xip
How to install the Apple Vision Pro simulator
Once the file we saw before has been downloaded, the installation is going to get a bit complicated. Instead of an installer itself, we obtain Xcode application compressed with XIP format. But do not spread panic. Actually, you don’t even need to install Xcode separately, as we have downloaded a beta version. And if you already had it downloaded, both can coexist on your Mac.
First, let’s update Xcode with the XIP file:
- Open the XIP file to unzip it and extract the Xcode beta version
- move xcode beta to folder Applications
- You can now open it by double clicking on it
- A window will appear asking you which platforms you need
- By default, visionOS 1.0 is checked.
- Click on Download & Install
- Xcode beta will download visionOS SDK and Apple Vision Pro simulator
How to try the Apple Vision Pro simulator
Once we have Xcode beta ready in version 15 beta 2 or higher and we have installed visionOS 1.0 Simulator, you can try the simulator. To do this, open Xcode and click on the menu xcode from the menu bar of the application itself. then go to Open Developer Tool and choose simulator.
When the simulator app opens:
- Create a new simulator from File > New Simulator…
- Give it a name and choose the device type: Apple Vision Pro
- You will also have to choose the version of visionOS, visionOS 1.0
- Click on create to create the new simulator
If everything goes fine, an emulating window will be loaded what you would see if you were wearing an Apple Vision Pro. And although it is an emulation, it allows us to enjoy from the Mac screen some details that the visionOS interface. Also, you will see two groups of icons. The ones above are used to return to the main screen and to carry out the main visionOS actions. And the icons below let you move around and interact with the apps.
In this first version of visionOS you will see few applications. Basically, Safari Freeform Photos and, in another folder, Maps, Podcasts, Calendar, Shortcuts, News and reminders. If you’re not a developer, you can entertain yourself by browsing the web from Safari, drawing with Freeform, tinkering with Maps, or trying out visionOS. Especially its different scenarios: kitchen, living room and museum. With the navigation icons you can move through them virtually. And if you don’t know much, keep in mind that the idea is that developers build apps with this very elementary version of the operating system that runs Apple Vision Pro. And don’t forget that on their page of documentation You will find more information about how visionOS works and the Vision Pro device.