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🎊 It Took a Billion-Dollar AI Deal to Get YouTube on Vision Pro

YouTube launched an official app for Apple Vision Pro today.[1] If you’re not following the VR space closely, this might not seem like news. But Google refused to build this app for two years—while maintaining a full-featured YouTube VR app for Meta Quest the entire time.

What changed? Probably a billion-dollar AI deal.

Two Years of “On the Roadmap”

When Apple Vision Pro launched in February 2024, YouTube was conspicuously absent. Google’s official response was that a visionOS app was “on the roadmap,” with no timeline.[2]

Vision Pro owners weren’t left completely without options—you could always watch YouTube through Safari. But it was the web experience, not a native app. No immersive environments, no spatial interface, no integration with visionOS features.

An independent developer named Christian Selig (creator of the popular Apollo Reddit client) built a third-party app called Juno to fill the gap. It was essentially a web wrapper with CSS modifications to make YouTube look more native to visionOS. No YouTube branding was added beyond what YouTube’s own website displayed.

Google’s response? They had Apple remove it from the App Store in October 2024, claiming Juno “modified the YouTube website in ways they don’t approve of.”[3]

So for two years, the message was clear: Google wouldn’t build a YouTube app for Vision Pro, and they wouldn’t let anyone else do it either.

Meanwhile, on Meta Quest

Here’s what makes that stance interesting: Google has maintained an official YouTube VR app on Meta Quest for years.[4]

The Quest app has everything you’d want: 360° videos, 8K playback, immersive environments, even watch parties with up to seven friends. All the features Vision Pro users were asking for—Google just chose not to build them for Apple’s platform.

Meta’s Quest dominates the VR headset market with roughly 80% of unit sales.[5] Vision Pro, at $3,499, was never going to compete on volume. But Google’s selective support felt less like a business decision and more like picking sides.

The Gemini Factor

Last month, Apple and Google announced a multi-year partnership worth roughly $1 billion annually.[6] Google’s Gemini models will power Apple Intelligence features, including a significantly upgraded Siri expected in iOS 26.4.

Five weeks later, YouTube launches on Vision Pro.

Correlation isn’t causation, but the timing is suggestive. Reddit commenters who “never thought this would happen” are probably right that something shifted in the Apple-Google relationship. When you’re negotiating a billion-dollar AI deal, throwing in a YouTube app for the other company’s struggling headset seems like an easy goodwill gesture.

History Rhymes

The original YouTube icon from iOS, 2007-2012

This isn’t the first time YouTube’s availability on Apple devices has been tangled up in corporate politics.

Younger readers might not remember, but YouTube used to be a built-in app on iPhone, pre-installed by Apple alongside Maps and other core apps. Then in 2012, with the release of iOS 6, the YouTube app disappeared.

The common assumption at the time was that Apple removed it as the companies’ relationship soured. But that’s not quite what happened. According to YouTube, it was their decision—they wanted to “take back control” of their app rather than let Apple build and maintain it.[7]

Google released their own YouTube app on the App Store shortly after. Users adjusted, downloaded the new app, and life went on. But there was a period where iPhone users had to watch YouTube in Safari—exactly like Vision Pro users have been doing for the past two years.

The parallel isn’t perfect. In 2012, Google pulled out to gain control. In 2024, Google simply refused to show up. But both situations left Apple users relying on the web browser as a fallback, and both eventually resolved when the business relationship shifted.

What This Means for Vision Pro

The new YouTube app supports all the features you’d expect: standard videos, 180° and 360° immersive content, YouTube Shorts, and your existing subscriptions and playlists.[1] On the newer M5 Vision Pro, you can watch in 8K.

Will this save Vision Pro? Probably not on its own. The device has struggled with sales—estimates suggest only around 45,000 units shipped in Q4 2025, and Apple has reportedly cut marketing spend by over 95%.[5] The $3,499 price tag, limited battery life, and lack of must-have apps have kept it a niche product.

But YouTube is one of those apps that matters. It’s where people spend hours. Having an official, native app removes one more friction point for potential buyers who were on the fence.

More importantly, it signals that the cold war between Google and Apple over spatial computing might be thawing. If the Gemini partnership holds, we might see more Google apps get the visionOS treatment. Google Maps in AR would be something.

The Broader Pattern

In 2012, iPhone users watched YouTube in Safari while waiting for Google to release a standalone app. In 2024, Vision Pro users did the same thing. History doesn’t repeat, but it does rhyme—especially when the same two companies are writing the verses.

YouTube on Vision Pro was never a technical challenge. Google had the codebase from their Quest app; adapting it for visionOS would have been straightforward. The two-year delay was a choice—and so was ending it.

Relationships change. Sometimes it just takes a billion dollars to remember you’re friends.

Citations

[1] YouTube Launches on Apple Vision Pro — MacRumors ↩

[2] There is an Apple Vision Pro YouTube viewer app, but it isn't from Google — AppleInsider ↩

[3] Juno, the YouTube app for Vision Pro, pulled from App Store — TechCrunch ↩

[4] YouTube on Meta Quest — Meta Store ↩

[5] Apple Vision Pro production reportedly cut due to underwhelming sales — Tom's Guide ↩

[6] Apple nears $1 billion Google deal for custom Gemini model to power Siri — 9to5Mac ↩

[7] Removal of Built-in YouTube App in iOS 6 Was YouTube's Decision to 'Take Back Control of Our App' — MacRumors ↩