It took two years, but Google released a YouTube app on Vision Pro

"When Apple's Vision Pro mixed reality headset launched in February 2024, users were frustrated at the lack of a proper YouTube app-a significant disappointment given the device's focus on video content consumption, and YouTube's strong library of immersive VR and 360 videos. That complaint continued through the release of the second-generation Vision Pro last year, including in our review. Now, two years later, an official YouTube app from Google has launched on the Vision Pro's app store."

"It's not just a port of the iPad app, either-it has panels arranged spatially in front of the user as you'd expect, and it supports 3D videos, as well as 360- and 180-degree ones. YouTube's App Store listing says users can watch "every video on YouTube" (there's a screenshot of a special interface for Shorts vertical videos, for example) and that they get "the full signed-in experience" with watch history and so on."

"They were referred to the web interface-which worked OK for most 2D videos, but it obviously wasn't an ideal experience-and were told that a Vision Pro app was on the roadmap. Two years of silence followed. Third-party apps popped up, like the relatively popular Juno app, but it was pulled from the App Store on Google's claim that it violated API policies. (Some others remained or became available later.)"

Users experienced frustration at the Vision Pro launch due to the absence of a proper YouTube app despite the headset's video focus and YouTube's immersive content library. The web interface served as a limited workaround for 2D videos but lacked spatial features. Two years passed without an official app, during which third-party alternatives appeared and some were removed for policy reasons. Google has now released an official YouTube app on the Vision Pro App Store with spatial panels and support for 3D, 360‑, and 180‑degree videos, plus signed‑in features like watch history. The origin of the release remains unclear, and Netflix shows no sign of following suit.

Read at Ars Technica