Zoom meetings are about to get weirder thanks to the Vision Pro
Zoom’s Vision Pro app will launch alongside Apple’s new headset on February 2nd and let wearers use its “persona” (a digital avatar based on their face scans) during video calls. Whoever they’re calling will see their facial expressions and hand movements as if they’re not wearing a headset, much like Apple’s FaceTime app for the Vision Pro.
The upcoming Zoom app will also take advantage of the Vision Pro’s augmented reality capabilities, allowing it to blend in with users’ physical environments while surfacing as a floating window. These features will be available when the app launches with the headset on Friday, February 2nd.
However, Zoom says it plans on bringing more features to the app later this spring, including something called “real-world pinning.” This is supposed to make calls feel more immersive by letting Vision Pro users pin up to five Zoom meeting participants in their physical space while removing the callers’ backgrounds.
The videoconferencing app will also add 3D object sharing, which will give users the ability to share 3D files and see how they look in their surrounding environment. It’s planning to add its Slack competitor, Team Chat, to the Vision Pro app as well.
Although Apple has already announced that streaming apps like Disney Plus, Max, Paramount Plus, Peacock, and others will get native Vision Pro apps at launch, some notable services are missing. Neither Netflix nor YouTube are getting Vision Pro apps at launch, which means users will be forced to open both apps in a web browser, offering a less immersive experience as a result.
