Surprise! It seems that the Apple Vision Pro can track your breathing

World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC 2024) is just days away, so the conversation around what Apple has planned for the big event is really starting to ramp up. What will Apple have in store for everyone?

Well, here's something that seems likely, based on a new report from MacRumors: A respiratory tracking feature in the Apple Vision Pro's Mindfulness app.

How would Apple's AR/VR headset pull off a respiratory tracking feature? Apparently, based on newly discovered back-end code, the Apple Vision Pro can track a user's breathing.

An Apple Vision Pro discovery

According to MacRumors, its contributor Aaron Perris discovered lines of code in the Apple Vision Pro's Mindfulness app, which provides users with meditation guides and sessions. The app draws the user's focus to their breathing rate, so it appears this possibly upcoming feature could be related to that.

As MacRumors points out, the Apple Vision Pro's ability to track breathing has never been disclosed before. However, we should note, it's unclear if Apple's AR/VR headset can currently do this, or if this code is connected to an upcoming update or something else entirely. 

The Apple Watch can currently track a wearer's respiratory rate thanks to its built-in accelerometer. The Apple Vision Pro also has an accelerometer built in to the hardware. 

Apple is expected to announce the next Apple Vision Pro operating system, visionOS 2,  at WWDC. There's no word yet on whether a respiratory tracking feature will be included in any Apple Vision Pro–related announcements. However, the discovery of this code is interesting nonetheless, as it shows that plans for such capabilities may very well be on the horizon.

Apple has struggled with Vision Pro sales as of late, with the company apparently revising its shipment expectations for the year. This new feature likely won't move units off of store shelves on its own. But, let's see what else Apple has in store for the headset at WWDC.