Apple Vision Pro's Guest Mode will let you share the $3,500 headset with friends

The Apple Vision Pro is an exciting piece of cutting-edge technology strapped onto your face. It is admittedly expensive, but undeniably, it is a window into the future, however dystopian that future might be. It feels surreal thinking about spending $3,500 on a computing device that will be very deeply personal. Thankfully, the Vision Pro will likely come with a Guest Mode to let you share your costly new gadget with your friends and family.

As spotted by 9to5Mac within the visionOS SDK, Apple has included a Guest Mode on visionOS on the Apple Vision Pro. As the name would imply, Guest Mode will let other people use an Apple Vision Pro that is registered to someone else.

The Apple Vision Pro relies on Optic ID, an authentication system that analyses a user’s iris under various invisible LED light exposures. This is then compared to the enrolled Optic ID data, unlocking the Vision Pro when the data matches. Think of it like fingerprinting your eyes.

So when you lock your Vision Pro, others cannot use it unless you let them do so with Guest Mode.

With Guest Mode, your family and friends can try out your shiny new headset without intruding upon your personal files. Things like hidden and deleted photos are expected to be locked through Optic ID. The owner can also set a password so others using the Vision Pro can access certain apps and settings without Optic ID.

The Apple Vision Pro will be a unique experience for the first few months of its existence, and everyone around you will be curious about what it is. It makes sense that a spatial computing device will have a way to let others experience the same mixed reality experiences. Hopefully, the Guest Mode balances the experiences of using the mixed reality headset while keeping personal data out of sight.