Apple has rolled out visionOS 2.1 Beta 6, a significant update aimed at enhancing the user experience and addressing known issues within the Apple Vision Pro ecosystem. This latest beta version brings a mix of known issues and resolved problems across several frameworks, making it an important release for developers and users alike.
In the Keynote application, users will find that presenter controls continue to be a source of frustration, as they remain difficult to access while presenting. This limitation affects various functionalities, such as bringing up the Light Table for slide navigation, accessing Drawing Tools and the Presenter Display, and managing Live Video sources. Moreover, it impacts the ability to utilize the Multi-Presenter feature, enable or disable Auto Dimming, and access Slideshow Tips. Users can advance their presentations by tapping the screen and can go back a slide by long-pressing and swiping to the right. For accessing Slideshow Tips, the Keynote Help menu in the app toolbar can provide guidance.
The RealityKit Graphics framework also has a known issue where visual flickering may occur when a translucent SwiftUI view and a translucent ModelEntity are positioned at the same point in space using RealityViewAttachment. To mitigate this issue, developers can add a ModelSortGroupComponent to the ModelEntity and set its group using ModelSortGroup.PlanarUIPlacement.
On a more positive note, several issues have been resolved in this beta release. In the StoreKit framework, a fix was implemented to correct inaccuracies in the offer identifier reported during StoreKit Testing in Xcode for subscription renewal information. This enhancement allows developers to manage their subscription offerings more effectively.
Swift Charts has seen crucial updates as well. Previously, projects utilizing Swift Charts encountered build failures when targeting iOS, macOS, or visionOS. This issue has now been resolved, enabling developers to work seamlessly across these platforms.
In SwiftUI, various fixes have been addressed. The beta resolves a problem where scene restoration would launch the incorrect scene, enhancing reliability. Additionally, the View.navigationSplitViewColumnWidth modifier now updates dynamically across iOS 18.1, tvOS 18.1, and visionOS 2.1. This change allows for more effective column width adjustments after the NavigationSplitView has been created, improving the adaptability of the user interface.
Another significant fix addresses a crash that occurred when using if #available in @WidgetBundleBuilder and @SceneBuilder on earlier OS versions, providing better stability for developers working across different OS environments.
Lastly, the Voice Memos app has been updated to fix an issue that prevented users from renaming a voice memo while recording. This improvement significantly enhances the usability of the app, allowing users to manage their recordings more effectively.
With the release of visionOS 2.1 Beta 6, Apple continues to refine its mixed reality operating system, delivering valuable updates and fixes that enhance the overall experience for developers and users of the Apple Vision Pro. As the platform evolves, users can expect a more stable and feature-rich environment that pushes the boundaries of augmented reality.