This eye tracking could be the coolest Apple Vision Pro idea yet, and it could arrive soon

Apple Vision Pro users are expected to get an update that takes intuitive interactions to a new level, thanks to eye tracking.

The updated feature, reported by Bloomberg, will use eye tracking to allow the wearer to scroll through apps using their eyes alone.

Currently the headset relies on hand gestures as one of the ways to interact with content being displayed on the device. Eye-tracking should make the scrolling process something you no longer even need to think about.

It sounds a bit like when a musician is playing and there is someone there to turn the pages for them. Only in this case that’ll be the headset knowing where you are and moving to make sure you have the next part lined up.

Initially it sounds like Apple will make this feature available with its own apps only. However, developers will have access to the feature so we can expect more third-party apps to offer eye-tracking controls in the future.

Is eye-tracking new to Apple?

While this is a new feature for the Apple Vision Pro, it’s actually something Apple’s been working with already.

Eye-tracking was introduced in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 as an accessibility feature. This uses the front facing camera to detect eye movements and scroll as needed.

This uses a feature called Dwell Control, which selects an item when the user’s gaze has focused on it for a set period of time. This also allowed users to play with Smoothing, and Snap-to-Item, as ways to interact with and control the experience with eye movements alone.

Here’s hoping all that gets included in the Vision Pro version of this eye-tracking feature.