TestFlight Now Supports visionOS Apps

[MacRumors]

Apple today updated the TestFlight app to support apps designed for the first visionOS beta, which means that developers may soon be able to use TestFlight for testing apps designed for the Apple Vision Pro headset.

"TestFlight now supports visionOS apps for internal and external testing, as well as testing iOS and iPadOS apps on visionOS," reads Apple's developer update on the functionality.

Of course, no one has an Apple Vision Pro headset to use at this point in time, but Apple has said that it plans to offer Apple Vision Pro developer kits at some point this month.

Apple has not provided details on how the developer kits will work, but Apple says that they will help developers bring their creations to life on Vision Pro, providing an opportunity to build, iterate, and test on the headset.

Kits will be offered starting in July, with Apple planning to allow developers to apply to get a kit. Apple may require developers to purchase an Apple Vision Pro headset to create apps for it, but the purchase price will include access to beta software, developer labs, discussion forums, technical support, and other resources if the Apple Vision Pro development kit is similar to the Apple silicon development kit.

The last developer kit that Apple offered was a Mac mini with an Apple silicon chip inside in 2020, and it was provided to developers to help them transition from Intel to Apple silicon. Apple sold the Mac mini machines for $500, but developers had to return them at the end of the testing program.

Apple also plans to soon let developers visit Apple Vision Pro developer labs that will be available in Cupertino, London, Munich, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo.

The latest version of TestFlight also now supports apps built with the third Xcode 15 beta for iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma, tvOS 17, and watchOS 10.

Article Link: TestFlight Now Supports visionOS Apps

 

[tripsync]

great for all of my 0 beta testers

 

[macsplusmacs]

Still waiting on my bar from "Cheers" environment.


Apple, are you listening?

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

Cool! I can’t wait for this thing to release!

 

[coolbreeze2]

Cool! I can’t wait for this thing to release!

Me too.

 

[cocky jeremy]

No one has one of these, so how are people going to test apps for it? Or is it only used by the devs with dev kits?

 

[Mr. Dee]

I feel Vision Pro is gonna lose a lot of its momentum by the time its at retail. Its starting to feel like yesterdays news.

 

[coolbreeze2]

I feel Vision Pro is gonna lose a lot of its momentum by the time its at retail. Its starting to feel like yesterdays news.

Yep but Apple I bet has a plan to splash it everywhere at launch.

 

[xnu]

We are just at the beginning, developers will create things we did not even know we would need or want. Hard to say how long it will take, or how successful the initial launch and adoption will be, but I think we will look back at this time and say "remember when we couldn't do..." I am excited to see how it turns out.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I feel Vision Pro is gonna lose a lot of its momentum by the time its at retail. Its starting to feel like yesterdays news.

Now that's funny. We're < 6 months from the first days of "early next year" and Apple was clearly "holding back" on things this thing can do, to- IMO- re-stir this pot up to a few times going into the launch.

I fully understand how anyone can be pessimistic about anything unreleased (nearly everyone around here seemed EXTREMELY pessimistic about this BEFORE Apple revealed it) but 6+ months will fly by and I'm sure there will be more to see in the coming months. How much time was there between when Silicon was announced and when people could buy new Silicon Macs?

A device that can show our eyes ANYTHING in a way that looks as real as actually seeing each ANYTHING offers a nearly unlimited range of new computing opportunity. I think all Apple has shown us so far are basic capabilities... and one of those is already enough for me, even at $3500. When it's time to jack up buyer enthusiasm, I suspect there are some big cards still to play.

No need showing the full hand to "Samesung" and similar with about 6 months or so to a launch because we know how that will go. Hold some big guns back to spring on us when the window to actually buy is about to open.

 

[macduke]

How many of these developer kits will get "lost" somehow and end up on eBay in 10-15 years.

 

[LV426]

The only problem in pretending that you live in an expensive NYC penthouse apartment is that one day you might wake up and find that your body is actually a bioelectric chemical battery that powers your machine overlords.

 

[Surf Monkey]

We are just at the beginning, developers will create things we did not even know we would need or want. Hard to say how long it will take, or how successful the initial launch and adoption will be, but I think we will look back at this time and say "remember when we couldn't do..." I am excited to see how it turns out.

… if there’s demand for it.

 

[coolbreeze2]

… if there’s demand for it.

There is demand already.

 

[Surf Monkey]

There is demand already.

We don’t know that yet since the product isn’t shipped and we have no sales numbers.

My point is that if people don’t adopt it in large numbers developers won’t develop for the platform. Consider the AppleWatch and AppleTV. Even CarPlay suffers from this. No significant demand = no apps or very few created for the platform.

 

[wigby]

We don’t know that yet since the product isn’t shipped and we have no sales numbers.

My point is that if people don’t adopt it in large numbers developers won’t develop for the platform. Consider the AppleWatch and AppleTV. Even CarPlay suffers from this. No significant demand = no apps or very few created for the platform.

What you say is true but you also cite the most limited platforms which could explain the lack of 3rd party support. Vision Pro has the power and flexibility of a desktop Mac so the only thing holding back adoption is the current pricing.

 

[macfacts]

Now that's funny. We're < 6 months from the first days of "early next year" and Apple was clearly "holding back" on things this thing can do, to- IMO- re-stir this pot up to a few times going into the launch.

I fully understand how anyone can be pessimistic about anything unreleased (nearly everyone around here seemed EXTREMELY pessimistic about this BEFORE Apple revealed it) but 6+ months will fly by and I'm sure there will be more to see in the coming months. How much time was there between when Silicon was announced and when people could buy new Silicon Macs?

A device that can show our eyes ANYTHING in a way that looks as real as actually seeing each ANYTHING offers a nearly unlimited range of new computing opportunity. I think all Apple has shown us so far are basic capabilities... and one of those is already enough for me, even at $3500. When it's time to jack up buyer enthusiasm, I suspect there are some big cards still to play.

No need showing the full hand to "Samesung" and similar with about 6 months or so to a launch because we know how that will go. Hold some big guns back to spring on us when the window to actually buy is about to open.

Apple has thousands of patents on this. why would they be scared to show any concrete use cases. No I don't want some IKEA app.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

They’re not afraid. They just play the marketing/press buzz game.

Else, why are they so secretive in general? Regular “big reveals” drive regular press, which drives incredible sales. That’s worked well for them since Steve Jobs return.

At the next big event or so, they’ll prob reveal a few more big goodies to stir the buzz pot anew… and then some whoppers at the launch to whip up a relative frenzy. We’ve seen this movie many times since 1996.

 

[Surf Monkey]

What you say is true but you also cite the most limited platforms which could explain the lack of 3rd party support. Vision Pro has the power and flexibility of a desktop Mac so the only thing holding back adoption is the current pricing.

Vision Pro is the very definition of “limited platform.” After all, everyone has a car. Everyone used to have a watch. Everyone has a TV. But this is goggles. Everyone does not have goggles and I see absolutely no demand for them. That bars a huge number of people from being potential consumers. I mean, unless you genuinely believe that the majority of people will want to put this on over and over and over again. I won’t be holding my breath.

 

[Surf Monkey]

They’re not afraid. They just play the marketing/press buzz game.

Else, why are they so secretive in general? Regular “big reveals” drive regular press, which drives incredible sales. That’s worked well for them since Steve Jobs return.

At the next big event or so, they’ll prob reveal a few more big goodies to stir the buzz pot anew… and then some whoppers at the launch to whip up a relative frenzy. We’ve seen this movie many times since 1996.

But have we really seen it succeed to the level it did before Jobs died and Johny Ive left the company?

 

[Surf Monkey]

Apple has thousands of patents on this. why would they be scared to show any concrete use cases. No I don't want some IKEA app.

Why wouldn’t a single executive put one on for the product launch?

 

[svish]

Looking forward to hearing more about all the apps that will be available on day one of Vision Pro release.

 

[Le0M]

Can devs keep the device "kit" for an extra price?

 

[macfacts]

Can devs keep the device "kit" for an extra price?

They have to pay $3500 for it.

 

[wigby]

Vision Pro is the very definition of “limited platform.” After all, everyone has a car. Everyone used to have a watch. Everyone has a TV. But this is goggles. Everyone does not have goggles and I see absolutely no demand for them. That bars a huge number of people from being potential consumers. I mean, unless you genuinely believe that the majority of people will want to put this on over and over and over again. I won’t be holding my breath.

People have worn glasses and goggles for many decades. Goggles that augment the world allowing new forms of entertainment, communication and content creation are not a very far stretch for those who are inclined to do so, especially when you consider that they cost less than a comparably equipped desktop computer or entertainment center. Supply will be the initial limiting factor here, not people's demand to participate in spatial computing.