Apple tells Vision Pro users who forget their passcode to bring the device to a store or mail the device to AppleCare support to erase and reset the device

Buyers of Apple Inc.'s new Vision Pro headset are finding it can be a major hassle if they lose their passcode.

Bloomberg 2024-02-06 Mark Gurman

Context & Ripple Effects

Vision Pro reached buyers with a setup flow tied to Face ID-equipped iPhones or iPads for fit sizing, underscoring how tightly the headset was initially coupled to Apple’s existing device and retail ecosystem. Shortly after launch, Apple addressed the recovery gap through a visionOS update that added a forgotten-passcode reset option.

The incident matters because a basic ownership task initially required physical intervention from Apple, at the same time the company was asking developers to build for the new platform. Friction in foundational device management can weigh on the early user experience before an app ecosystem has had time to deepen.

First-order effects

Vision Pro owners who forget a passcode must visit an Apple Store or send the headset to AppleCare for an erase-and-reset, turning a routine account-recovery problem into a service event.
Apple’s retail and support operations absorb the recovery work until software-based reset is available; the later visionOS 1.0.3 reset option directly removes that dependency.

Second-order effects

The policy makes Apple’s physical support network part of the headset’s ownership proposition, raising the practical importance of store access and mail-in turnaround for early buyers.
A recovery process this cumbersome can add to other early-adoption objections; subsequent coverage of returns tied to price, weight and isolation shows why avoidable setup and support friction matters disproportionately for a new category.

Third-order effects

If spatial-computing devices remain closely controlled hardware platforms, post-sale support and operating-system recovery tools will be as consequential to adoption as headline features and app availability.
The episode points to a broader early-platform test: vendors must shift essential tasks from specialist or retail handling into reliable self-service software as their installed base grows.

The trend: Spatial-computing platforms are moving from tightly managed launch products toward self-service consumer devices, making device recovery and support design core adoption variables.

Discussion

@film_girl Christina Warren on x
This is why I keep calling this a dev kit. Because it's a dev kit.
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
PSA: If you forget your Apple Vision Pro passcode (or experience a bug where it doesn't work), the only way to reset it is to bring it to a store or ship to AppleCare for them to erase the OS (or become a developer and buy the $300 USBC strap). https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@newsynick Nick Turner on x
We're now in the era of spatial computing, but if you forget your Vision Pro password you may have to schlep your real-world ass back to the store https://www.bloomberg.com/... via @markgurman
@kantrowitz Alex Kantrowitz on x
Protip: Make it ‘password’ you will never forget
r/apple r on reddit
Forgot Your Apple Vision Pro's Passcode? You May Have to Take It Back to Store
@taylorlorenz Taylor Lorenz on threads
Apple Vision Pro users alarmed to learn that VR porn doesn't currently work on the $3,500 device https://www.404media.co/...
@reckless1280 Nilay Patel on threads
YouTube tells me a Vision Pro app is now “on the roadmap,” albeit with no timeline. And visionOS webXR support means, um, ~ other kinds ~ of VR videos on the web don't work yet either. More: https://www.theverge.com/...
@alexcox@mastodon.social Alex Cox on mastodon
As I obnoxiously insist that indie devs and normal people can have an influence on new operating systems, it's already happening. — @christianselig cucked **YOUTUBE** with Juno, and now they're going to make a crappy app that doesn't launch for a year. — https://www.theverge.…
@michaelgold Michael Gold on x
How to enable WebXR on Vision Pro [video]
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
These people can touch grass, is this really what people want Vision Pro for?
@Dexerto @Dexerto on x
Some Apple Vision Pro owners are upset after being unable to access VR pоrn
@cixliv @cixliv on x
The best part of this XR war. Is when Samsung/Google comes with a headset that integrates Android. And “Meta” with a 10 year head start and 100 billion loss, still loses. Why? Simply because they treated devs like absolute trash and ran a predatory store with zero transparency.
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
@Comentamundo21 oh don't confuse unable with block Safari doesn't support playback of VR/360 video. Most websites use JS webviews developed to play on specific browsers on VR headsets. If it was a spatial MOV it would be supported, but that's a pretty new standard
@recursivefunk Johnny Ray on x
Translation: We've seen the positive buzz, but are not sure of the staying power. If and when this becomes a thing, we'll release something. Now shut up about it. [image]
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
Google should focus on a Gemini/Bard app for Vision Pro before anything else especially with Gemini Ultra coming (rumored) on Wednesday
@christianselig Christian Selig on x
I hope making Juno better and better will make YouTube's eventual visionOS app that much better :)
@josephfcox Joseph Cox on x
New from 404 Media: people are distraught that current VR porn does not work on the $3,500 Apple Vision Pro https://www.404media.co/... [image]
@idevicehelpus @idevicehelpus on x
That didn't take long 👇🏼
@parkerortolani Parker Ortolani on x
Google is indeed going to make a YouTube app for Vision Pro. We just don't know when.
r/apple r on reddit
YouTube says a Vision Pro app is ‘on the roadmap’
r/VisionPro r on reddit
YouTube says a Vision Pro app is ‘on the roadmap’
r/VisionPro r on reddit
A ‘$3,500 Chastity Belt’: Early Apple Vision Pro Adopters Alarmed to Learn VR Porn Doesn't Work

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