Apple recently acquired two more companies to further expand its developments in artificial intelligence and mixed reality. The acquisitions concern TrueMeeting and WhyLabs – two technology providers specializing in avatars and AI security, respectively. As usual, Apple hasn't officially commented on the matter, but EU documents and references in Apple's software speak for themselves. The innovations are likely to directly affect Apple Vision Pro and Apple Intelligence in particular.
Apple has been regularly acquiring smaller companies for years, usually behind the scenes. These acquisitions bring either new technologies or entire development teams into the company, which are then integrated into existing products. Since 2024, it has been particularly noticeable that Apple has been specifically targeting AI companies. The two recent acquisitions of TrueMeeting and WhyLabs fit this pattern. They were listed in the European Commission's database at the beginning of 2025, indicating that Apple had already acquired the companies at the end of 2024. Both technologies could have a directly noticeable impact on you as a user – on the display of avatars in Vision Pro and on the quality and security of Apple Intelligence.
TrueMeeting brings realistic avatars to Apple Vision Pro
TrueMeeting was a company that developed an app that allowed users to scan their face with their iPhone and create a realistic avatar image. The company promised a "hyperrealistic digital twin" of the person in question. This technology had previously been used in various applications, including video conferencing and games. TrueMeeting's official website is now offline, a typical sign that Apple has acquired the company. Apple has not made any public statement on the matter. The most likely date for the acquisition is the fourth quarter of 2024. An initial result of this acquisition can be seen in visionOS 26, which was introduced in June 2025. There, the so-called personas – the digital avatars in Apple Vision Pro – have become significantly more natural and realistic. Whether this is directly attributable to TrueMeeting cannot be conclusively proven, but the proximity in time suggests it.
WhyLabs to protect Apple Intelligence from errors
Parallel to the acquisition of TrueMeeting, Apple also acquired WhyLabs. WhyLabs develops tools for monitoring large AI language models, focusing on preventing so-called hallucinations. These refer to errors or fictitious content that an AI sometimes generates. Such hallucinations can cause problems in sensitive applications – for example, in customer service. WhyLabs analyzes whether an AI is functioning correctly, where deviations occur, and whether there is a risk of misuse. In a promotional video, for example, the company showed a chatbot that accidentally revealed a customer's delivery address. WhyLabs' technology detects and prevents such data protection risks. The official WhyLabs content is still online, but the acquisition was already listed in the European Commission's database on January 24, 2025. This suggests that this deal was also completed in the last quarter of 2024.
Why Apple doesn't make such acquisitions public
Apple has a long tradition of not commenting on acquisitions unless it provides the company with a communicative advantage. One example is the acquisition of the music service Primephonic in 2021, which was openly confirmed because Apple wanted to use it to promote Apple Music Classical. Since 2023, however, stricter regulations have been in place under the EU's Digital Markets Act. Apple—like Google and Amazon—has been classified by the EU as a so-called gatekeeper. This means that the company must report acquisitions under certain conditions. As soon as the acquired service is considered a platform service or data processor, the European Commission must be notified. The European Commission then publishes a list of the transactions.
- Please note: The published dates do not reflect the actual closing date, but rather the time of the announcement. Often, several months pass between the acquisition and the announcement. For example, Apple's acquisition of Pixelmator was listed as February 11, 2025, even though it actually took place in November 2024. In the case of TrueMeeting and WhyLabs, the transaction was announced on January 24, 2025—again, it can be assumed that the actual deal was already completed in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Two acquisitions, one goal: securing Apple's future
Apple has made two strategic decisions with the acquisition of TrueMeeting and WhyLabs. Both companies bring technologies that directly contribute to Apple's most important future areas: mixed reality with Apple Vision Pro and generative AI with Apple Intelligence. While Apple itself hasn't disclosed details, software updates and public databases reveal what's happening behind the scenes. (Image: Shutterstock / iwonder TV)
