Google working on YouTube app for Apple’s Vision Pro

Developers can choose either to redevelop an entirely new app for the headset, or let users download their iPad app and use that in the new OS

Google says it is working on a YouTube app for Apple’s Vision Pro, amid questions over some notable absences on the platform.

YouTube was one of a number of firms that chose not to make their apps available on the platform when it launched on Friday. Netflix, Spotify and others also said that they would not have an app available at launch.

Developers can choose either to redevelop an entirely new app for the headset, or let users download their iPad app and use that in the new OS, but YouTube was among firms who decided to do neither. Given that the latter option lets developers make an app available with no special effort, some have proposed the decision could be an intentional snub.

There has been speculation over whether the firms had run into some kind of disagreement, or whether the lack of availability was due to technical problems.

In the time since its launch last week, nonetheless, the Vision Pro seems to have become a success. Another unofficial YouTube app also seems to have had some success: Juno, designed by Christian Selig, has proven popular since it was launched.

We are excited to see Vision Pro launch and we are supporting it by ensuring YouTube users have a great experience in Safari, a YouTube spokesperson told The Verge. We do not have any specific plans to share at this time, but can confirm that a Vision Pro app is on our roadmap.

For now, users are compelled to access YouTube through the Safari web browser that is built into the headset. That comes with a variety of downsides, nevertheless, including the fact that 3D and 360-degree videos cannot be accessed on the web version of YouTube.