[6] Internally codenamed Borealis,[7] it was officially revealed to the public at Apple's WWDC23 event alongside the Vision Pro.

[8] App Store guidelines for the operating system similarly state that developers should refer to visionOS software as "spatial computing experiences" or "vision apps", and avoid the use of terms such as "augmented reality" and "mixed reality".

[9][10] During the event, The Walt Disney Company announced plans to develop spatial computing apps for visionOS;[11] Disney+ currently offers features such as streaming of selected titles in stereoscopic 3D, and they also offer 3D environments based on the El Capitan Theatre and locations from Disney-owned franchises.

[12] The operating system was initially planned to be released as xrOS before the name was changed reportedly days before its announcement, after the WWDC23 keynote and developer sessions had already been filmed.

[14] From June 5–12, 2023, Apple released 35 free virtual sessions covering visionOS development as part of WWDC23.

[21][22] During visionOS setup, a user can create a digital persona by taking off the headset and scanning their face with it.

[27] WebXR, an API for mixed reality experiences through web browsers, is supported in Safari.

This was extended to an 8K wide and ultra-wide curved display options with the release of visionOS 2.1 in December 2024, along with the ability to route Mac audio to Vision Pro.

[36] Some of the most popular entertainment apps for iOS and iPadOS including Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube have not made their iOS or iPadOS apps available to run on visionOS, recommending users instead use their respective websites on Safari.

Some reviews even mentioned features more advanced than the Apple Vision Pro hardware, such as eye and hand tracking.