New to Apple Vision Pro

Your first day with Vision Pro.

I use Vision Pro every day. Here are the setup tips, apps, and experiences I would show you first.

Written by Justin Ryan · Built from hands-on use · Reviewed July 2026

Start here

Set up the basics.

Get the fit right.If the headset hurts, stop and adjust it. I love the Dual Knit Band. I sometimes use the ANNAPRO A2 without the Light Seal. It feels more like wearing a thick pair of glasses.Apple fit guide
Install the latest update.Go to Settings, General, then Software Update. Do this first so you have the newest features and fixes.Apple update guide
Use your eyes and fingers.Look at a button, then tap your thumb and index finger. Keep your hand loose. It works from your lap.Apple gesture guide
Know how to recenter.Look straight ahead and hold the Digital Crown. Your open windows will move back in front of you.Apple recenter guide

What I show new owners

Do these four things next.

Start with Apple Immersive Video

Watch an Apple Immersive Video.

Open Apple TV and enjoy any Apple Immersive Video that looks good to you.

One of my favorites is Wild Life: Sharks. It is nine minutes and puts you underwater with a dive team in the Bahamas.

Try Wild Life: Sharks

Sharks swimming around a scuba diver in Wild Life on Apple Vision Pro — Image: Apple

Open Photos

Step into your photos.

Open a photo, then tap the Spatial button to spatialize it. Vision Pro will turn it into a scene with depth.

Try it with your favorite photos. Some work better than others.

Learn about spatial photos

An Apple spatial scene showing a person among the arches of a sunlit courtyard — Image: Apple

Set up your room

Put widgets in your room.

Start with one widget and put it where it makes sense. These are a few I really like. I miss them when I take Vision Pro off.

ClockKeep the time in view.

Philips HueControl your smart lights and change their color.

BatteriesCheck battery levels at a glance.

Mac Virtual DisplayConnect to your Mac with one tap in visionOS 27.

Apple MusicKeep your favorite music close.

PhotosKeep your favorite photos in your space.

Learn about spatial widgets

A calendar widget being placed on a wall in visionOS — Image: Apple

Apple Immersive Environments

Change the world around you.

Turn the Digital Crown and try Apple’s immersive Environments. Move between a few and see which one fits the moment.

Thórsmörk in Iceland is my favorite right now. It comes with visionOS 27.

See Apple’s Environments

The Thórsmörk Iceland environment on Apple Vision Pro — Image: Apple

Spatial Insider picks

Great apps to start with.

These are some of my Top Picks.

A super polished experience

Blockworks - Spatial Building

Top Pick

Watch in amazing theaters

Theater: Cinema & Events

Top Pick

Walk around real 3D videos

Gracia: 4DGS viewer

Top Pick

See incredible sports cars in your room

Caradise

Top Pick

Draw with gravity

AirDraw

Top Pick

Step into an immersive arcade

Retrocade

Top Pick

See every app we’ve tried and how we ranked them

Spatial FaceTime

Try Spatial FaceTime with us.

Twice a month, I host a 30-minute Spatial FaceTime call with a small group of people who just got a Vision Pro. We join as spatial Personas and talk face to face instead of sitting in video boxes.

The goal is simple: experience the magic of Spatial FaceTime and meet other new owners. Space is limited.

Email Justin for a seat

Justin Ryan holding Apple Vision Pro in his studio

Keep exploring

More things to try.

A person using a hand gesture to interact with a full-size 3D car model on Apple Vision Pro — Image: Apple

Use a USDZ file

Pick up a 3D model.

Open a USDZ model, pinch it, move it into your room, and make it larger or smaller. Walk around it to see every side. Sketchfab has thousands of free models if you need one.

Find free 3D models

An ultrawide Mac Virtual Display surrounded by visionOS apps — Image: Apple

Bring in your Mac

Try Mac Virtual Display.

Connect your Mac and use its screen in Vision Pro. You can make it large, then place Vision Pro apps around it.

Set up Mac Virtual Display

Siri answering a personal question from a desk in visionOS 27 — Image: Apple

New in visionOS 27

Put Siri on your desk.

The new Siri is amazing. Pin it to your desk. Ask what it sees. Ask it to find information in your apps using what it knows about you.

See Siri in visionOS 27

A person stepping toward a curved panorama of green cliffs in a personal Environment on Apple Vision Pro — Image: Apple

New in visionOS 27

Make your own Environment.

Open a panorama in Photos, turn it into a spatial scene, then set it as your personal Environment. Pick a place you would love to step back into.

See personal Environments

SharePlay · Near or far

Try a shared app together.

Start a shared session with another Vision Pro user. Watch, listen, or use a supported app together. They can be beside you or far away.

Make a memory

Capture something spatial.

Record a short spatial video with Vision Pro or a supported iPhone. Start with a person, pet, or place you want to remember.

YouTube for visionOS

Look around a 360 video.

Open an 8K 360 video and turn your head to see the whole scene. M5 Vision Pro can show 8K. M2 Vision Pro plays it in 4K. Spatial Insider 360 has videos you can try.

Share the moment

Set up Guest User.

Use Guest User before you hand Vision Pro to someone else. You can choose which apps they are allowed to open.

Follow Spatial Insider.

See the latest news, apps, and experiences as they happen.