Why has Apple made it so difficult to share Vision Pro with other users?

The Apple Vision Pro, even though it’s known for being a bit of a loner, seems like it’s meant to be shared. In its big, pricey first version, it’s not something most folks would want to lug around all day. It’s best used for specific tasks like 3D design or as a personal entertainment gadget, like a virtual TV or game console. These are the kinds of things that usually get used by one person at a time but are often owned by a whole household or office and get passed around a lot.

The Vision Pro’s hardware is actually pretty good for this. Unlike some VR headsets, the Solo Knit Band is adjusted with just one easy-to-use dial, so you don’t have to mess around with annoying velcro straps to get the right fit.

Swapping out the bands is a breeze too, if you ever need to. It involves a light seal that’s customized to your face, with a whopping 17 different sizes to choose from. But the best part? It’s all held in place with an easy-to-swap magnetic snap. Plus, there’s a straightforward biometric login option using the face-tracking cameras built right in.

Also Read: Apple Vision Pro could replace your iPad but there’s one hiccup

It’s not easy to share a Vision Pro

One can easily envision a scenario where this translates into the Vision Pro becoming more valuable as a multiuser device. Many individuals, for instance, share electronics, and their criteria for a good entertainment device often include whether their partners will also use it.

It’s hard to imagine wearing the Vision Pro all day for work, but we can imagine putting it on for a couple of hours to play VR/AR games, and then passing it off so others can watch TV on a virtual big screen. But it feels like the Vision Pro is designed to ruin that fantasy every step of the way.

The biggest issue is the absence of multiple accounts or profiles. The Vision Pro only lets one person have a permanent account linked to their Apple ID. This is similar to the iPad and iPhone, but unlike almost every other computing device, from my Android phone toMacBook to a modest Nintendo Switch. Even the Meta Quest system, which used to tie hardware to personal Facebook or Meta logins a few years back, allows you to switch between up to four accounts!

The single-user setup on the iPhone is a bit of a pain for privacy and customization, but it’s understandable. However, the lack of multiple user support on the iPad is a real head-scratcher — we’ve been griping about it for years — but at least some iPads are pretty cheap.

The Vision Pro costs $3,499 and only one person in your household can ever use it fully, which is just plain silly. The privacy issues are technically there on the Vision Pro — letting anyone else use it without setting restrictions in guest mode gives them access to everything you’ve got on the headset, including your messages.

Starting a guest session is a hassle

But as many reviewers pointed out, they might not even be able to use it well enough to get that far. You can start a guest session by holding the Vision Pro’s left-side hardware button for four seconds, but you can’t save a second user’s information so they can log in quickly next time without calibration. It’s like if every time you handed an iPad to someone else in your family, they had to spend a minute tapping colored dots.

Then there’s the issue of getting an extra light seal. For example, the Vision Pro with owner’s seal size could be too small and could let light into another user’s eyes. An extra seal costs $199, and you can only buy it in one of two ways: ordering online and scanning your face with a Face ID-equipped iOS device, or going in person to an Apple Store and getting a scan done there.

Overall, not being able to just buy a few different sizes and see which one works best is inherently limiting for a single user — and makes it nearly impossible to share with a few people in a family or workplace.

Apple could fix this by software updates

It gets even trickier if one or more potential users wear glasses, although this seems more like an inherent hassle than a deliberate obstacle. The Vision Pro uses Zeiss-made prescription lens inserts, which need to be initially paired with a passcode stored in Apple’s Health app or on a physical card. On the plus side, the interface allows you to store multiple lens pairings, so it doesn’t seem like you have to do this every time.

Some of these annoyances might get fixed over time, as Apple has smoothed out other clunky Vision Pro design quirks with software updates. The company is obviously trying to get people used to a new type of computer, and right now that means keeping a tight grip on the experience.

If the Vision Pro does well, things like the demo requirement might disappear. Apple might also introduce more options specifically for business or education customers, like the Shared iPad feature that offers some multiuser support.

But Apple has also stuck to the idea that its devices are designed for just one person, and with the Vision Pro, it can enforce that idea in ways it couldn’t before. Even as the hardware becomes more affordable and efficient, it could still insist on a fundamentally single-user experience — and that’s a shame, considering the Vision Pro seems designed for so much more.

Also Read: Will Apple Vision Pro work for you if you have glasses or contacts?

Does Apple Vision Pro work with glasses?

You can’t rock your glasses with Apple’s debut VR headset. Despite being as chunky as other headsets, the Vision Pro is crammed with tech, leaving no space for glasses. So, you gotta figure out a different fix for your eyewear situation. Apple teamed up with Zeiss to whip up optical inserts that play super well with the Vision Pro, making room for all sorts of prescription lenses. Zeiss is even on board to craft Vision Pro inserts for those rocking progressive or bifocal lenses.

If you’re into those budget-friendly readers from the drugstore, you’ve got three options: +0.75 to +1.25D, +1.50 to +1.75D, and +2.00 to +2.75D. If your readers are rocking a strength above +2.75, Apple recommends giving the available reader inserts a shot – maybe one of those will do the trick.