Here’s how to get some visionOS 2 features early for your Apple Vision Pro

Do you own an Apple Vision Pro? Apple’s premium (and very expensive) Mixed Reality headset has been making waves since its launch. This year’s WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) kicked off with the announcement of visionOS 2. VisionOS 2 launches this Fall, but you can now access some of its most impressive features if you have a developer account.

Apple has just released visionOS 2 Beta 5. Like the previous betas, you need to be a registered developer in Apple’s database to get access to it. Here’s how to do so:

1. Have an Apple ID associated with a developer account
2. If you don’t have one, go here, log in and agree to the terms
3. Now open up the Settings app on your Vision Pro
4. Go to “General”
5. Then go to “Software Update”
6. Go to “Beta Updates”
7. Opt into the “Developer Beta”

With visionOS 2 Beta 5 you’ll get access to certain features that are poised to launch in visionOS 2’s public release. These features include:

• Rearranging app icons on Home View
• Re-centering full-screen videos in an Environment
• Resizing volumetric style windows
• Performance improvements in certain applications like Juno and Safari

The wake-up bug — where the Vision Pro would be unresponsive after waking up — should also have been fixed for most users.

Apple promised a lot of new features in visionOS 2, including the ability to convert 2D images into spatial 3D ones. Mac Virtual Display will be getting resizable windows and higher resolutions as well. Live captions and Travel Mode for trains also seem quite interesting to me.

Our Apple Vision Pro review deemed it one of the best AR headsets on the market today. And visionOS 2 looks to be trying to keep it on that list. But unless the Apple Vision Pro 2 can ditch the $3,499 price tag, I fear Apple’s headset will remain a novelty item for enthusiasts.