Apple could let you control Vision Pro headset with just your eyes

Apple is preparing to launch a new eye-scrolling feature for its Vision Pro headset, allowing users to navigate content simply by moving their eyes. According to a Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman, the feature is being tested as part of visionOS 3, the next major software update for Apple’s $3,499 mixed-reality device. The update is expected to debut at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which begins on 9 June.

The Vision Pro already supports advanced eye-tracking, enabling users to select items by looking at them and pinching their fingers. The new eye-scrolling functionality aims to expand on this by removing the need for any hand gestures, offering a more seamless, hands-free experience. This could make tasks like reading, browsing menus, or scrolling through apps significantly more intuitive and less tiring.

Apple plans to roll out the feature across all of its native Vision Pro apps, while also providing tools for third-party developers to integrate the same into their software. The goal is to enhance usability and demonstrate the Vision Pro’s capabilities, even as overall sales of the headset remain modest.

This development comes amid an internal restructuring at Apple, with the Vision Pro software team recently merging with the Siri division, a move that signals Apple’s ambitions to combine voice and visual interface technologies in future updates.

In addition to eye-scrolling, Apple is also expanding accessibility features in visionOS. New capabilities include magnifying real-world and digital content through the Vision Pro’s external camera and generating live, machine learning-powered descriptions of the environment. A revamped VoiceOver feature will help users identify objects, read documents, and better understand their surroundings.

While Apple has yet to comment publicly on these developments, the upcoming WWDC event is expected to shed more light on how the company envisions the future of hands-free and accessible computing. Stay tuned to Tech Today to know more about these developments.