**Revamp of Apple Vision Pro’s Personas Feature in visionOS 26**
Apple plans to improve the Personas functionality for its Vision Pro users with the forthcoming release of visionOS 26. Personas are the three-dimensional avatars employed during FaceTime calls while the headset is worn. Initially met with criticism due to their uncanny valley look upon launch, the feature was described as a ‘beta’ version within the operating system. Since that time, Apple has been dedicated to enhancing the accuracy of these avatars, and visionOS 26 represents a substantial progression.
The latest version displays a remarkable enhancement in detail and quality, which is highlighted by a side-by-side comparison shared by Apple. The company asserts that it utilizes leading machine learning technologies to create sophisticated volumetric renderings of users’ faces and shoulders. Consequently, this yields a significantly clearer and more realistic appearance, with considerable advancements in polygon count and texture quality. These improvements facilitate better portrayals of hair, eyelashes, and skin textures.
Moreover, the capabilities of the avatars have broadened, with the device now able to produce a full side-profile for the first time. Despite these upgrades, the Personas continue to be generated on-device in only a few seconds, ensuring efficient performance alongside enhanced quality.
Additionally, visionOS 26 introduces more customization options for users. In crafting their Persona, users can select from over 1,000 variations of eyewear, enabling a more tailored avatar.
The visionOS 26 update will be accessible as a complimentary software update for all Vision Pro users later this year, promising to significantly enhance the virtual communication experience.
