How to Set Up the Apple Vision Pro

Step 1:
Turn the Vision Pro On

Whether you bring the Vision Pro home from an Apple Store or have it shipped to you, the first step is simply turning it on. This isn’t quite as easy as pressing a button on the headset, because of the separate battery pack. Take the Vision Pro out of the box, then remove the battery pack, power adapter, and USB-C-to-USB-C cable. Connect the battery pack to the circular connector at the end of the battery’s cable and the plug on the left side of the headset. This isn’t a MagSafe connection; you need to align the dot on the connector to the empty dot on the headset, then press it in and twist so the dots match up. The cable will run directly back when it’s connected.

The Vision Pro will start up at this point. You might want to plug the battery pack into a wall outlet to keep it topped off while you get everything running.

(Credit: Will Greenwald)

Step 2:
Put the Vision Pro On Your Head

Now comes the exciting part: Pop the Vision Pro on your face, pull the headband over the back of your head, and twist the adjustment dial on the right side of the headband to tighten it. The display should tell you to press and hold the digital crown and stare at the floating glasses in front of you to align your view. Then you’ll be shown a surprisingly bright and sharp view of your surroundings, and the setup process will begin.

(Credit: Will Greenwald)

Step 3:
Scan Your iPhone and Link Your Apple ID

You need an iPhone or iPad to set up the Vision Pro. The headset will direct you to bring your phone close to your face, after which its screen should prompt you to unlock it to begin the setup process. Your phone will then show a QR code you need to scan with the Vision Pro to continue.

This is a little weird because the iPhone doesn’t seem to directly factor into any part of the process besides telling the Vision Pro what Wi-Fi network to use and serving as a two-factor authentication (2FA) device for connecting the headset to your Apple ID. You can choose to manually enter your Apple ID credentials using a virtual keyboard, but after that you’ll need to get a six-digit 2FA code from your phone to authorize it.

Step 4:
Scan Your Hands

Hand gestures are a major part of the VisionOS interface, so the next stop involves showing the Vision Pro what your hands look like. It will tell you to stick your arms out in front of you and hold your hands up with their backs facing the headset. After it records that view, it will tell you to flip your hands over. Then the scan will be done.

(Credit: Apple/Will Greenwald)

Step 5:
Calibrate Eye Tracking

Eye tracking is an even more important part of VisionOS than hand gestures, so the headset will watch how your eyes move to get it right. It will tell you to stare at a dot, then at six dots in a circle, making a tap gesture with your finger as you look at each one. Then it will brighten the screen and have you go through the circle again, then brighten it further and do it a third time. This is probably to figure out how your eyes look at objects when they’re dilated to different degrees based on how bright the picture is.

Step 6:
Set Up Your FaceTime Persona

Since you’ll be wearing a big mask on your face when using FaceTime on the Vision Pro, you can’t get a live view like you would with your iPhone’s selfie camera or your Mac’s webcam. Apple takes a different tack from Meta’s Pixar-like computer-generated avatars by building a simulation of your actual face to show to people you’re on calls with.

The Vision Pro will instruct you to remove it from your head and point the visor at your face. The display on the front will glow and show you a series of circles with your face inside them. The surprisingly loud speakers will tell you to look at the visor, then turn your head left, right, up, and down. Then it will record your facial expressions by having you smile with your mouth closed, smile while showing your teeth, close your eyes, and raise your eyebrows. Those eight actions are enough for the Vision Pro to put together a surprisingly good, photorealistic version of your face to show on FaceTime calls (though it didn’t quite get my hair right).

You can then tweak your avatar by putting different glasses on it.

(Credit: Apple/Will Greenwald)

Step 7:
Set Up Optic ID

Instead of Face ID, the Vision Pro uses Optic ID. This means it scans your eyes to confirm you are who you say you are. After your FaceTime persona is set up, the Vision Pro will tell you to look at a symbol in front of you. After a few seconds, Optic ID will be set up. Seriously, that’s it.

As a backup, the Vision Pro will also have you set up a six-digit manual passcode, just like with iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices.

Step 8:
Activate the Vision Pro

With all of the above steps done, the headset will activate. It said it would take a few minutes, but it seemed to finish within 20 seconds.

After that, the Vision Pro will show you a quick tutorial on basic gestures and interface elements, like selecting items, resizing windows, and bringing up quick menus.

Step 9:
Start Spatial Computing

After the Vision Pro is set up, you’ll be staring at your surroundings with a floating screen in front of you showing macOS-like icons. You can start using the headset now, either by diving into the preinstalled apps or browsing the App Store.

(Credit: Apple/Will Greenwald)