The Apple calculator app is a standard feature on Apple devices, alongside other utility apps such as Voice Memos and Compass.
Its logo is synonymous with the famous Apple logo, which is always installed across iPads, iPhones, and Macs. However, there are two major outliers in which this common app is not present.
visionOS doesn't have a built-in calculator
First, the visionOS, an operating system designed just for the Apple Vision Pro. Despite its focus on visual functionality and advanced capabilities like a virtual keyboard and immersive simulations like lunar voyages, the calculator app is conspicuously absent.
This may appear confusing at first glance, but it is consistent with visionOS's emphasis on creating a streamlined, visually engaging experience.
The presence of a calculator app on a device intended to improve visual capabilities may be viewed as unneeded clutter.
tvOS doesn't have it either… obviously
As for the second one, if you haven't guessed it, well its the tvOS. An operating system that powers Apple TV. It also lacks a calculator app, and for a good reason.
This is a conscious design decision to provide a clear and distraction-free entertainment environment.
Users often use Apple TV to watch shows and movies rather than perform math, so the lack of a calculator app makes sense from a user experience aspect. Who would boot up a calculator in the middle of the show?
Despite not being the most popular program in Apple's ecosystem, the calculator app is one of the first apps people see when they launch their iOS or macOS devices.
Its complete exclusion from visionOS and tvOS shows Apple's philosophy of adapting software features to specific device environments and user behaviors.
While customers can install third-party calculator apps on visionOS if necessary, Apple's decision to prohibit them from tvOS is completely logical in order to give a intuitive user experiences throughout its wide product portfolio.
So if you are using either of the two Apple devices mentioned and needs to use a calculator, just boot up your phone.