Developers: Apple privacy rules are killing Vision Pro apps

[Gearbest Technology News]Apple does not allow third-party applications to use the camera on Apple Vision Pro, and developers are unhappy with this.

Apple's Vision Pro didn't launch with the same explosion of new dedicated headset apps as the iPhone did, but by February 2024, there were more than 1,000 native apps on the visionOS App Store. It's still very much in the works, and while it's still early days, some developers have complained they're restricted by Apple's privacy rules.

According to The Information, both developers complained about the lack of camera access on Apple's Vision Pro, with developer Kalani Helekunihi saying he hasn't even started using the headset app because of the limitations. He makes apps for the elderly and disabled. He wants to be able to use the camera to log in users by scanning a barcode.

Helekunihi also hopes to develop an app that would allow Vision Pro to use sound to describe the surrounding environment for visually impaired people. Apple's own app allows camera use, and Helekunihi has been able to use the camera on the iPhone, just not the Vision Pro's. “A lot of the things we're used to doing with our phones are simply not possible in XR devices because of vague privacy concerns,” he said.

Likewise, Antony Vitillo hopes to bring a native version of his MetaQuest game HitMotion: Reloaded to Vision Pro. He wanted to use cameras so that the game could display real-world items, but again suffered from permission restrictions.

Former Apple employees said the decision to limit the Vision Pro's cameras and other sensors was made about eight years ago. They say it comes from what Apple learned from the iPhone and developers using its sensors, and then it required apps to ask users for permission. And part of it involves privacy, because no one wants to be secretly recorded by Vision Pro or anything else. Apple executives fear bad behavior, according to former employees. And they don't think this restriction will hinder creative developers.

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