Your iPhone 15 Pro can now capture spatial video for the Vision Pro

A vision of the future

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

WhenAppleunveiled theVision Pro headset, it explained that you’d be able to capture so-calledspatial videosfor the device using aniPhone 15 ProoriPhone 15 Pro Max. Yet you’ve not been able to do that with either of thebest iPhonescurrently available – until now.

That’s because Apple has just launched iOS 17.2 beta 2, and with it comes the ability to record 3D spatial videos. That means you can start prepping videos for the headset using just your iPhone and its main and ultra wide cameras; no fancy equipment necessary.

Of course, you can’t actually see these videos in their intended 3D environment yet, because the Vision Pro hasn’t launched – it’s not expected until some time in early 2024.

But what you can do is start filming videos ready to be used in 3D apps built using Apple’s frameworks, like RealityKit. So, if you’ve got your heart set on building a Vision Pro app that integrates 3D video, you can get started more or less right away.

A taste of things to come

To enable spatial video capture on an iPhone, you’ll obviously need to be running iOS 17.2 beta 2. Once you are, open the Settings app and selectCamera, then enable theSpatial Video for Apple Vision Protoggle.

Now, the next time you open the Camera app, there will be a Spatial option for video recording. Just start filming and your iPhone will do all the necessary legwork to make the video 3D-enabled.

As spotted by9to5Mac, Apple says video captured in this way will be recorded at 1080p and 30fps, and that a minute of spatial footage filmed this way will take up around 130MB of space. Better make sure you have plenty of free storage before you start.

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

When the Vision Pro eventually makes it onto shelves, you’ll also be able to capture videos using the headset itself, too. For now, though, you’re limited to a recent high-end iPhone, but it seems to be a taste of something greater.

You might also like

Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he’s learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That’s all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

Latest Meta Quest 3 update includes a major visual overhaul, and improved PCVR

Samsung teases XR hardware for 2025 – we think it’ll be AR glasses, and here’s why

Your next smartwatch could be battery-free – and powered by your skin