visionOS 2

Apple introduced iOS 18.6 and macOS Sequoia 15.6 on Tuesday with the goal of clearing out bugs. iPadOS 18.6, watchOS 11.6, tvOS 18.6 and visionOS 2.6 are also available.

While these patches are about fixing problems rather than adding features, they are still very much worth installing.

Apple introduced on Tuesday four patches for a range of devices to deal with bugs. iOS 18.3.2, macOS 15.3.2, iPadOS 18.3.2 and visionOS 2.3.2 are all ready to download.

In addition to a bug fix related to streaming content, the patches also include a fix for a potentially serious security issue.

iOS 18.3.1, iPadOS 18.3.1 and more updates went out Monday. These bring bug fixes, while a security update makes them highly recommended for anyone with a compatible iPhone or iPad.

In addition, you can download macOS Sequoia 15.3.1, watchOS 11.3.1 and visionOS 2.3.1 — each with their own fixes — now as well.

Apple seeded the release candidates for iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3 and macOS Sequoia 15.3 to developers Tuesday. In addition, the watchOS 11.3 RC, tvOS 18.3 RC and visionOS 2.3 RC went to developers at the same time. These bring only minor modifications to the various devices, though.

Release candidates are generally the final phase before the operating system upgrades go to users.

The iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2 release date is here. They bring in the second wave of Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji, the Image Playground, optional ChatGPT integration and more.

watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2 and visionOS 2.2 also went out, though these don’t include any AI features.

With Thursday’s introduction of the release candidates for iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2, we’re likely a week away from the debut of the second wave of Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji, the Image Playground and more.

Release candidates for watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2 and visionOS 2.2 also went out.

Apple released iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 and visionOS 2.1.1 on Tuesday. The updates deal with serious security threats that bad actors apparently already exploited on older Macs.

Apple recommends the updates for all users.

After a full day of toiling inside Vision Pro, I often keep my headset on for evening entertainment — shows, games or looking at photos. Vision Pro has almost completely replaced my television. It enables a new way of watching videos as well; I watch video all around the house as I wander about doing chores.

The Vision Pro also excels for perusing my photo library. It’s the best way to view photos ever — and by a huge margin. Spatial photos are unbelievable. Videos look fantastic. Panoramas, a largely forgotten feature, are mind-blowing.

In other areas, Vision Pro disappoints. I’ve played some super fun games, but gaming isn’t a serious thing on Vision Pro yet. And while Apple’s own immersive 3D movies on Apple TV+ are super cool, it feels like we’ve only been given an appetizer.

Watch our video or keep reading for more detail.

visionOS 2 adds a whole bunch of fantastic new quality-of-life features to Apple’s premium mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro. New hand gestures make it easy to bring up the Home View or Control Center, Spatial Photos are a great way to look at your pictures and the new virtual environments are a visual treat.

visionOS 2 is a fantastic update you should install right away — and it’s out right now. Find it in Settings > General > Software Update.

After you update, here’s the list of things you can check out.

Apple unveiled a slate of new Immersive Videos for Vision Pro in the form of series and films Thursday. So users of the AR/VR headset are in for some new audio-visual treats. And some are available now.

“Apple Immersive Video is a groundbreaking leap forward for storytelling, offering Apple Vision Pro users remarkable experiences with an unparalleled sense of realism and immersion,” said Tor Myhren, Apple’s vice president of Marketing Communications.

I loved getting my hands on visionOS 2, the first major software update for Vision Pro that brings a few delightful new features. It’s available in Developer Beta today.

The best thing is Spatial Photos, which uses AI to turn older 2D photos into immersive 3D ones. It’s incredibly good. Guest mode has been improved and new hand gestures make the headset easier to use.

But if you were looking for more than a few new features, well, sorry. But a smaller update makes sense. The headset first launched in February, so a bunch of worthy updates in just six months is pretty good. But does that mean I have to wait another 12 months from now to get the basic improvements I was hoping for? Maybe Apple will have more to announce in September.

Nonetheless, here are my first impressions of Spatial Photos, the new hand gestures, the editable Apps View and more.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After a lightning-fast WWDC24 keynote, we’re left to ponder Apple Intelligence, a (potentially) smarter Siri and a ton of whiz-bang features coming to iOS 18, macOS Sequoia, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11 and visionOS 2.

Also on The CultCast:

• The skydiving intro to the WWDC24 keynote blew our minds. A clever concept, high-energy performances, a Mötley Crüe soundtrack … talk about something only Apple can do!
• Apple Intelligence looks like AI done right. Apple’s distinctive approach means serving up AI features in an easy-to-understand and incredibly useful way. While protecting user privacy, of course.
• That iPhone-mirroring feature in macOS Sequoia looks cool. But what’s it for?
• We have the winners in our traditional predictions game. Some listeners nailed the wild card by guessing that the next version of macOS would be called “Sequoia.” Congrats!

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.