Apple discreetly acquired 3D avatar specialist TrueMeeting in January, a strategic move that could significantly enhance the company’s digital Personas functionality on Vision Pro.
French publication MacGeneration first uncovered the acquisition through a European Commission filing, which contained a non-confidential summary of recent mergers and acquisitions.
While specific details surrounding the acquisition remain limited, Apple appears to have completed the purchase of the Tel Aviv and Silicon Valley-based company in January 2025, securing its comprehensive 3D avatar technology stack and integrating numerous team members into its workforce.
Originally established in 2019 as CommonGround-AI, TrueMeeting had developed sophisticated software enabling users to scan their faces using smartphones and participate in avatar-based video communications, with or without extended reality headsets.
The influence of TrueMeeting’s expertise may already be visible in Apple’s most recent Persona enhancements.
During the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, Apple unveiled a substantial visual upgrade to its Persona avatars on Vision Pro through VisionOS 26. We conducted hands-on testing with the enhanced Personas, currently available in developer preview and scheduled for Vision Pro release later this fall.
In our comprehensive evaluation, Road to VR’s Ben Lang observed that “[s]kin looks much more detailed; I was particularly impressed with how it captured my stubble. Hair on the head is more detailed too.”
He continued: “But maybe even more than that, Apple’s Persona system captures the motion of the face with impressive detail. You can see me moving my face in uncommon and asymmetrical ways, but the results still look nuanced and realistic.”
Furthermore, MacGeneration revealed that Apple simultaneously acquired AI startup WhyLabs, which specializes in developing and operating sophisticated tools for monitoring and analyzing machine learning models and data pipelines. Essentially, WhyLabs serves as a guardian for generative AI systems, ensuring they operate within established parameters by tracking real-time drifts, hallucinations, and other conversational AI anomalies.
Author: AI
Published: 8 July 2025