Teams used early prototypes to record three-dimensional videos of moments in their lives and created a series of demos to prove the concept. The response of seeing a kids’ dance recital or the smoke drifting up from birthday candles in such an immersive way was unforgettable. While challenging to develop, it was clear the power of spatial photos and videos had to transport you back to a moment in a way that two-dimensional photos and video can’t, and they became a core goal for the platform.

As the design team looked at different ways to capture moments with Apple Vision Pro, they realized the technology opened up compelling new experiences to let people feel more connected to their memories. By recording and reliving content in three dimensions, people could experience moments with added depth and dimension through spatial photos and videos.

One of the challenges is that to record three-dimensional video, you need two cameras that are on the same plane as one another, capturing video simultaneously to allow you to experience stereo vision. By capturing content in stereo, our brains convert the result naturally into three dimensions. With spatial photos and videos, people can transport themselves back to a special moment in time, and Spatial Audio makes the experience even more immersive.

Ease of use and portability were key, so when you’re on the go, you can capture spatial video on your iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max and relive them on Apple Vision Pro. You can view all your photos and videos at a life-size scale with brilliant color and spectacular detail, including Panoramas that expand and wrap around you. This technology opened up a meaningful and impactful way to present memories back to a person and allowed the team to bring it to life.