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Rumored new features in iOS 11 – group Facetime, auto power saving, “Apple Cash”

News of three possible new features of iOS 11

Yesterday a Reddit user by the name of cyanhat posted details of some upcoming iOS 11 features, ahead of its expected announcement in June. Since then, the post has been deleted – but iPhonehacks managed to grab the details before it was taken down, and if there’s any truth to these claims they’re very interesting.

Firstly, the post suggests that FaceTime Audio will become “the default calling method for iPhone users” in iOS 11. This would bypass the cell network and use an internet connection for a (supposedly) clearer chat, in much the same way that the internet-powered iMessage is the default message service between Apple users. It’s also predicted that FaceTime will open up its video calling capabilities to support group chats with up to five people at once.

Next, the report suggests an improvement to the low power mode in iOS, with automatic scheduling that adapts to average usage and switches off services accordingly. This feature would be triggered by location and context awareness to help maintain a charge longer without manual intervention. Currently, a prompt offers the chance to switch on low power mode when the device hits 20% charge, and again at 10%. This feels like a natural next step.

Finally, and perhaps most interestingly, is the idea of a complete revamp for the Wallet app including social features like the ability to pay your contacts via iMessage. This kind of peer-to-peer Apple Pay would compete with services like Venmo and SquareCash, with another report suggesting the feature could be named “Apple Cash.”

These claims are unconfirmed, and it’s hard to tell how trustworthy the source is, though many of them match up nicely with previous reports. Each is an interesting suggestion and not too outlandish – we wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple introduce any of these features sometime soon. (Hopefully alongside the long-awaited dark mode.) We should find out for sure about iOS 11 when WWDC kicks off on June 5 – stay tuned for that.