Apple Vision Pro spatial F1 viewer app Lapz has been forced to pause its TestFlight distribution by the Formula One Group.
If you're unfamiliar, TestFlight is Apple's system for distributing pre-release apps on its platforms, somewhat similar to the now-defunct App Lab on Quest.
Lapz launched on TestFlight back in July. The app lets Apple Vision Pro owners watch live and past F1 races on a large virtual screen while seeing the position of each driver on a diorama-scale 3D representation of the track floating in front of them, as well as the first-person views from multiple drivers in floating windows.
Lapz originated as just a concept video, made by VFX artist John LePore before Apple Vision Pro even launched to suggest a use case that the headset would excel at. The reaction to this concept was so overwhelmingly positive though, LePore says, that a team of developers formed and worked with him to make it into a real visionOS application, called Lapz.
Since launching in July, the Lapz team has released an update every few weeks, improving the experience. But now, Lapz has suspended its TestFlight at the request of the Formula One group. New users will no longer be able to enroll in it, and the app will expire on February 8 for existing users, if nothing changes.
Lapz isn't saying exactly what the substance of the request was. The race views you see in Lapz are just web views of the F1TV streams, and Lapz requires logging into your F1TV Pro subscription. Further, Lapz is a free app, with no monetization beyond optional donations from users.
Lapz says it is now "working to secure a digital license to keep developing Lapz and are also exploring licensing options with other motorsports". That suggests that if it can't work out some kind of deal with the Formula One Group, it'll pivot to another motorsport. But that would be a shame, as Lapz is a perfect example of how mixed reality can deliver an outright superior sports watching experience compared to traditional screens, and is arguably the ideal way to watch F1 races.
