Early rumors regarding the iPhone 8 are that the tenth generation smartphone will be a revolutionary release. Driving this sea change in the Apple smartphone will be the eleventh version of the iOS operating system. Already many interesting features are being linked with iOS 11, so here is a rundown of some of the hottest anticipated functionality.
iOS 11 – Group FaceTime Calls
FaceTime has, of course, become successful in its lifespan, but it has yet to truly rival Skype. Perhaps one of the reasons for this has been a lack of group video chat in any previous versions, but rumors now suggest that Apple will indeed include this function in iOS 11.
These murmurings have come out of Israel, with sources familiar with the iOS development process citing the fact that Apple is working on including this in the operating system right now.
Dark Mode
App developer Andrew Wiik has already identified a so-called Dark Mode for the settings app running in iOS Simulator. This suggests that the feature will later migrate to the iOS 11 operating system. Dark interfaces could help reduce the power consumption of the display, which coupled with the new OLED technology could result in significant performance improvement.
Video-Sharing App
Bloomberg previously reported that Apple is working on software that would enable video-sharing and editing within iOS. This would be a pretty big deal were it to emerge in iOS 11, yet the smart money is on precisely this occurring. The team behind iMovie and Final Cut Pro are believed to be centrally involved in delivering this functionality, and the finished product is expected to have a particular emphasis on social networking.
Contacts
iOS 11 will also introduce new integrated social features into the Contacts application. Central to this will be enabling users to view text messages, emails and social media interactions with contacts within a single window.
Media Continuity
The Continuity feature for Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple Watch enables Apple users to switch seamlessly between devices. While this is compatible with the vast majority of inbuilt Apple software, it is not currently possible with Apple Music, Podcasts or iTunes. But reports from close to Apple suggest that this will become a major feature of iOS 11.
Voicemail transcription
All consumer electronics technology is increasingly being focused on smarter working, with Samsung finally unveiling its own artificial intelligence software for release in 2017. With this in mind, Apple will step up the transcription of voicemail in iOS 11, with this having previously been labelled as a beta feature in iOS 10. iOS 11 will deliver increased accuracy in this software, improving its viability in real world settings.
Drone And Indoor Mapping Data
The technology landscape is becoming increasingly varied and complex, and part of this diverse picture is the introduction of drones and navigation technology. Apple has been assessing this developing technology carefully, and is now ready to utilize its own drones to improve the Maps app.
According to reports, Apple plans to fly drones in order to monitor changes in roads and to determine construction zones. Data will be continually updated in the navigation app by the team working on Apple Maps. Although Apple still has some catching up to do with Google in this area, it seems committed to delivering the best software possible, and this process will continue to develop with iOS 11.
Siri updates
Siri is undoubtedly one of the jewels in the Apple crown, and it is this which has prompted the aforementioned Samsung program Bixby. But it seems that the Californian corporation is working on improvements to the software for iOS 11, and essential to this will be ensuring that it includes a more natural sounding voice. Additionally, iOS 11 will also add support for voice commands to a wide range of social apps, with the likes of Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat benefiting.
Control Center customization
This was anticipated for iOS 10, but it failed to come to fruition. Many consumers will hope that Apple follows through and adds Control Center customization in the eleventh version of iOS.
iMessage For Android
Finally, one of the most intriguing rumors linked with iOS 11 is the idea that Apple will release the iMessage software for Android. The advantages of this will be manifold for the consumer electronics giant, but above all else it will make it easier for iPhone and iPad users to communicate with friends that utilize other Android-driven platforms.
Google Hangouts can be set as the default messaging app for Android and this is also compatible with both iOS and web-based technology. This, it is clearly plausible for this to be achieved with the eleventh version of iOS, and it is indeed expected to occur.
