Apple brings Holographic features not only to the Vision Pro, but also to the iPhone

At WWDC 2025, held on June 9, 2025, Apple unveiled a suite of groundbreaking spatial features across its ecosystem, emphasizing immersive experiences for iPhone and Apple Vision Pro users. Here’s a comprehensive look at the spatial highlights from the keynote.

Available in developer beta now, with general release planned for fall 2025, these features signal Apple’s bold vision for a spatially connected future. We’ve already tried it ourselves—and we’re seriously impressed!

3D Lock Screen Wallpaper: Holographic-like wallpapers on iPhone

One of the most eye-catching reveals at WWDC 2025 was the introduction of 3D lock screen wallpapers for iPhone with iOS 26. This feature transforms any 2d photo from your gallery into a dynamic, three-dimensional scene, bringing a cinematic and personalized touch to your device. Using on-device AI and advanced computer vision techniques powered by the Neural Engine, iOS 26 separates foreground and background elements to create a lifelike depth effect. As you tilt or move your iPhone, the wallpaper shifts, offering a parallax-like experience that makes the image feel alive.

The 3D effect isn’t just visual flair—it integrates seamlessly with the lock screen’s design. The clock and widgets adapt fluidly, resizing and repositioning to complement the spatial scene, even when notifications “squish” the display. For music lovers, Apple added full-screen animated album artwork that leverages this 3D capability, turning your lock screen into an immersive stage for album visuals when playing tunes (Artists can create this animated 3D covers with the excellent Immersity AI 2d-to-3D converter). Part of the new “Liquid Glass” design language, this feature unifies Apple’s aesthetic with translucency and responsive animations, redefining how users interact with their iPhone’s first impression.

2d-to-Spatial Photo Conversion on iPhone Display

Apple also brought spatial magic to the iPhone’s Photos app with a feature dubbed “Spatial Scenes.” This tool uses advanced machine learning to convert any 2d photo into a spatial experience, adding depth and multiple perspectives. Like with the wallpapers, images have an holographic-like as you move. As Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, noted during the keynote, “We generate a special scene from your 2d photos, creating a delightful 3D effect, bringing your favorite memories to life as you move your iPhone in your hand.” 

Once converted, these Spatial Scenes can be viewed in the Photos app, where tilting your iPhone reveals the added depth, mimicking a window into the moment. This feature extends beyond personal use—developers can integrate Spatial Scenes into apps like Zillow, allowing users to explore virtual home tours with a sense of dimension. No special glasses are needed, making this an accessible leap into spatial content for all iPhone users, and it’s a testament to Apple’s focus on bringing Vision Pro-inspired tech to its flagship device.

With these features the only thing the iPhone is missing for enjoy the full potential of Spatial images is a 3D displ… Wait! Our store offers not one, but two 3D display options for your iPhone!!

Anchoring Spatial Photos on Apple Vision Pro

For Apple Vision Pro users, visionOS 26 introduced a powerful new way to interact with spatial content: the ability to anchor spatial photos anywhere in your room. This feature builds on the headset’s spatial computing foundation, allowing users to place spatial photos—already rich with 3D depth—onto walls, tables, or any spot in their physical environment. These anchored photos persist in space, so each time you don the Vision Pro, they remain exactly where you left them, creating a personalized gallery in your surroundings. This lets you free up physical space on your room, while enriching it virtually with cherished life-like memories through virtual decorations—whether you’re working or exploring Vision Pro features.

The Photos app in visionOS 26, enhanced with AI-driven “Spatial Scenes,” makes these anchored images feel lifelike, letting users “lean right into them and look around,” as Apple described. This capability pairs with native support for 180-degree, 360-degree, and wide field-of-view content from cameras like Insta360, GoPro, and Canon, expanding the types of media you can pin in your space. Whether it’s a 3D memory of a family gathering or an immersive action video, anchoring spatial photos transforms your room into a dynamic, interactive canvas, pushing the boundaries of how we relive moments.

Improved Spatial Personas: More Lifelike Digital Avatars

Spatial Personas, Apple’s 3D avatars for video calls and shared experiences, received a significant upgrade in visionOS 26. Introduced as a beta feature last year, Personas now leverage volumetric rendering and machine learning to deliver “striking expressivity and sharpness.” The enhancements include full side-profile views, remarkably accurate hair, eyelashes, and complexion details, making these digital representations feel more natural and familiar.

These improved Personas enhance collaboration and connection. With visionOS 26, multiple Vision Pro users in the same room can share spatial experiences—watching movies, playing games, or working together in 3D space—thanks to SharePlay integration. Remote participants can join via FaceTime, with Personas placing their ghostly, lifelike busts in your environment. Companies like Dassault Systèmes are already tapping this for apps like 3DLive, where users can view 3D designs collaboratively. The realism and interactivity of Spatial Personas mark a leap forward, making virtual interactions feel closer to real-world presence.

A Broader Spatial Vision

Beyond these highlights, WWDC 2025 showcased other spatial features for Vision Pro. Spatial widgets, customizable in size, color, and depth, now anchor in your space, persisting across sessions for a seamless experience. Spatial browsing in Safari transforms articles, hiding distractions and revealing inline photos with lifelike depth as you scroll. The feature name is exactly the same than the just presented multi-platform Pico framework: WebSpatial.

New APIs allow developers to embed 3D models in web pages and create volumetric apps, while support for 3D mouse interaction with the new Logitech Muse, and also support for the PlayStation VR2 Sense controller enhances gaming with precise motion tracking and haptic feedback.

Apple’s spatial focus at WWDC 2025 bridges iPhone and Vision Pro, bringing 3D experiences to everyday users and immersive enthusiasts alike. The 3D lock screen wallpaper and 2d-to-spatial photo conversion make spatial computing accessible on iPhone, while anchoring photos and improved Spatial Personas elevate the Vision Pro’s potential.