visionOS 27: Siri AI, Eye-Aware notifications, curved windows and more

Apple’s WWDC 2026 keynote may have seemed relatively quiet on the Vision Pro side, but the visionOS 27 beta contains a decent amount of new features and quality of life improvements that are likely to be well received by the headset’s user base.

As you might expect, visionOS 27 benefits from the new Apple Intelligence and Siri AI features that Apple brought to iOS 27 and macOS 27, but this time they feel more seamlessly integrated into the platform compared to previous efforts. For example, Vision Pro users can ask ‌Siri‌ about anything happening in their environment, and with visual intelligence, the assistant will see and interpret it in real time, identifying the content, answering questions about it, and providing contextual information to boot.

Interaction with Apple’s ‌Siri‌ is via a new 3D orb that users can place anywhere in their virtual space, and simply look at the widget to start a conversation – no “Hey ‌Siri‌” necessary. A new ‌Siri‌ app also makes it easier to return to previous interactions and continue conversations.

Curved windows in visionOS 27

Below is a summary of what else is new in visionOS 27:

• Panoramas as environments: Panoramic photos can now be transformed into immersive spatial environments. Rather than viewing panoramas as flat images, users can access them and experience more depth and realism, making photos and landscapes more realistic.
• Curved application windows: Apps like Safari, Freeform, and Apple TV now take advantage of new curved window layouts that wrap content around the user’s field of view. The feature is designed to create a more immersive workspace and better utilize Vision Pro’s virtual display area.
• Faster Wi-Fi: Apple says visionOS 27 significantly improves wireless performance, with supported networks delivering speeds up to three times faster than before.
• Safari 3D environments: A new Web Environments feature means developers can now use a new immersive API to launch users into a full 360-degree environment from within Safari. Apple says these environments can completely surround a user’s physical space, making navigation feel more like a native Vision Pro experience.
• Redesigned Control Center: The Control Center has been revamped with sections dedicated to notifications and media playback, system controls, and immersive environments. The redesign aims to make common commands easier to find and reduce the number of steps required to access frequently used settings.
• Smaller widgets: A new extra-small widget size allows users to place more widgets in their physical space without cluttering their environment. The extra size option gives users greater flexibility when placing clocks, weather widgets, photos, and other persistent spatial content.
• Glance to expand notifications: Notifications will now automatically expand when a user looks at them, reducing the need for hand gestures or manual interaction. This feature allows for faster access to information, while remaining consistent with visionOS’s eyes-first interaction model.
• Spatially preview your Mac: Mac owners can now preview and edit 3D models from their laptop directly in visionOS, while Quick Look enhancements make it possible to add annotations directly to 3D models.
• New environment: Apple has added a new immersive environment based on Thórsmörk, a nature reserve in Iceland known for its spectacular mountains, valleys and glaciers. Users can select the environment as a virtual backdrop for work and entertainment, just like existing environments.
• Improvements for developers: Apple is introducing new frameworks, APIs and tools to help developers create more advanced spatial experiences. Updates include improvements to RealityKit, environment occlusion for a more realistic mix of virtual and physical objects, improved asset rendering technologies, updates to Reality Composer Pro 3, and improvements for popular game engines.

The new design of the Control Center for visionOS 27

The visionOS 27 developer beta is available now, ahead of the software’s full release this fall. Apple says the ‌Siri‌ AI will begin rolling out later this year as a beta feature and will initially only support English. However, unlike the iPhone and iPad, where the ‌Siri‌ AI will not be available at launch in the European Union, Vision Pro users in the EU will have access to the feature from day one.