Apple enables Spatial Video recording in iOS 17.2 beta

When Apple launched the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, the company said that the new phones will be able to record spatial videos, which can be put to use in the upcoming Vision Pro augmented reality headset.

Now, the functionality is live in the latest version of iOS. In the recently released iOS 17.2 beta 2, there’s a new toggle in the settings which enables the recording of spatial videos.

You have to manually toggle this setting before you can record spatial videos in the Camera app.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

“Record spatial video with remarkable depth for viewing in the Photos app on Apple Vision Pro. For best results, keep iPhone in landscape orientation and stable while recording. Video is recorded at 30 fps at 1080p. A minute of spatial video is approximately 130 MB,” the setting says.

After you’ve turned the setting on, you can open the Camera app on the phone, and go to video. In the bottom left corner, you’ll see a new icon that looks like VR goggles; if you tap it, the next video you record will be spatial. Note that the VR icon won’t show if you’re pointing the camera to something that’s very near; in that case, you’ll see the macro icon instead.

See that little icon that looks like VR goggles? It means you’re recording spatial videos.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Once you’ve enabled spatial video recording, the Camera app will warn you to go to landscape mode, which is likely the better format for viewing on the Vision Pro headset. You’ll also occasionally see a little balancing tool in the middle of the display, which warns you not to tilt the phone to either side too much.

Unfortunately, there appears to be no way of taking advantage of spatial videos without the Vision Pro headset. The spatial video I took looks like a completely regular, full HD video recorded in 30 frames per second. It’s likely that the phone records additional depth information while you take the video, but that will only be put to use when you view the video in Vision Pro.

That likely won’t happen for some more time, though. The $3,500 Vision Pro is scheduled for a release in early 2024.