Apple ‘Personas’ on Vision Pro are already the most likelife real-time avatars you can find on any headset today, but in the next version of visionOS, they’re taking another step forward.
Apple today announced that its Persona avatars for Vision Pro will get a major visual upgrade with the launch of visionOS 26, due out later this year.
Personas on Vision Pro are generated on-device after users take a short scan of their face using the headset. Once generated, the avatar is used for social experiences like FaceTime.
Currently, they’re the most lifelike real-time avatars available on any headset today. Although they impressively capture subtle motion from the user, they have always felt somewhat blurry or ghostly.
VisionOS 26 promises a big visual update that will greatly reduce that ghostly look, and present a more complete view of the user’s head, including a “full side profile view.” Apple is also promising more realistic hair and lashes, and more than 1,000 variations of glasses, so glasses-wearers can find something that looks just right.
Although visionOS 26 will be available as a developer beta starting today, it isn’t yet clear if the Personas upgrade will be available in the first version, or roll out in later versions of the beta.
Beyond the visual upgrade to Personas, visionOS 26 will also make improvements to how social experiences work on the headset. New developer tools will allow for the creation of co-located virtual experiences; meaning two headset users in the same physical space will be able to see a shared virtual experience that’s visually anchored in the same space for both. That same system will allow for remote participants to join as Persona avatars, making for a mixture of in-person headset users and remote participants in the same virtual experience.
