You just pulled an all-nighter, waiting outside of the Apple Store for hours in the middle of winter — all so you can be one of the first to throw down $3,499 for the Apple Vision Pro.
With the Vision Pro in your hands, you head home, tear open the box, and set up the headset. An immersive entertainment experience awaits. You install the apps you have subscriptions for, including Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, Peacock, Max — but wait.
You can’t seem to find the Netflix app for the Apple Vision Pro. Why? Because there isn’t going to be a Netflix app for the Apple Vision Pro. At least, for now.
Native Netflix app will be absent from Apple Vision Pro
Netflix özgü passed on creating a native Apple Vision Pro app, as first reported by Bloomberg. On top of that, the company apparently nixed plans to make its iPad app compatible with the Apple Vision Pro, too.
So, how will Apple Vision Pro users get to watch their favorite movies and shows on their new pricey headset?
“Our members will be able to enjoy Netflix on the web browser on the Vision Pro, similar to how our members can enjoy Netflix on Macs,” Netflix said in a statement.
While Netflix is usable via the web browser, there are some drawbacks to not having a Netflix app. For example, Apple Vision Pro users will not be able to watch offline content on their headset, as this feature is only available via Netflix apps.
Apple was ready for hesitancy from developers to go all in, using time and resources to develop applications for an unproven product with a price point that puts the headset out of reach for majority of consumers. As such, Apple streamlined the process of porting existing iPad apps to Vision Pro, offering them an easy entry point to this new platform.
Almost all the major streaming services, including Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, Peacock, and Max, either created a Vision Pro app or ported over their iPad app. But not Netflix.
Other streaming services like Discovery+, Pluto TV, Tubi, Fubo, Crunchyroll, Red Bull TV, IMAX, and MUBI will also have apps on the Apple Vision Pro.
Disney+, and unsurprisingly, Apple TV, are taking it one step further, providing content specifically made for the headset, such as 3D movies and “immersive entertainment” experiences.
But Netflix, by far the largest streaming service with more than 247 million subscribers, will be conspicuously absent entirely from the Apple Vision Pro app lineup.