Personas, which allows users to see a digital version of themselves during calls, Zoom meetings, etc., is a key feature of Apple’s Vision Pro VR, er, spatial computing headset. Although at first they looked a little unsettling, Apple has made significant improvements to them in the most recent release, based on posts on X that MacRumors was able to spot. They are now more realistic, so users look less like impressionist paintings and more like humans.
Once the visionOS 1.1 update is installed, you’ll be prompted to recapture your Persona to get the “latest appearance updates” — this is apparently done in part with the headset off and pointing at your face. Most users feel the updated Personas are better, and visually, they look less blurry and a touch more realistic, plus the proportions seem better.
So, maybe it's just me, but I feel like the visionOS 1.1 beta vastly improves the Persona feature.
Is it still uncanny and creepy? Yeah, but I don't look like Stalin anymore. pic.twitter.com/uYGUugHFSl
— Snazzy Labs (@SnazzyLabs) February 6, 2024
As a reminder, Personas are a digital representing of the users created by data from the headset’s sensors and a new machine learning algorithm. They’re designed to be an “authentic spatial representation” of someone that shows their facial expressions and hand movements — so you won’t be a dork in a mask on group calls.
If you need to do that, though, a similar feature called EyeSight shows other people a digital version of your eyes when you’re wearing the Vision Pro. Apple still calls Personas a beta feature and provides detailed instructions to get the best results.
