How to Set up Apple Vision Pro for development

Photo by Roméo A. on Unsplash

Setting up your Apple Vision Pro for development thankfully does not require the $299 Developer Strap, but does require a few quick hoops to jump through.

Software Prerequisites

1. macOS 14.2 or greater
2. Xcode 15.2 or greater
3. A new Xcode project targeting visionOS. Don’t forget this one.

Setting up Apple Vision Pro for development

Paradoxically, setting up Apple Vision Pro for development requires you to start with having an Xcode project targeting visionOS. This will make sense in a moment. Assuming you have this, here’s how to set up Apple Vision Pro for development and run your app on the device:

1. In Xcode go to the device dropdown and click Manage Run Destinations

Click the device dropdown at the top of the window, and then click Manage Run Destinations.

2. In Apple Vision Pro, navigate to Settings > General > Remote Devices. This will put the device in pairing mode.

3. In Xcode you’ll see Apple Vision Pro in the Run Destinations dialog. Follow on-screen prompts from here.