Apple’s WWDC is just weeks away, but to help iOS users pass the time until the conference kicks off, the rumor mill has churned out more reports about new iPhone hardware and iOS 9.
According to 9to5Mac, the iPhone 6s will look similar to the iPhone 6, which isn’t a surprise since the “s” iPhone models typically look a lot like their non-s counterparts. There will allegedly be one big new feature included with the iPhone 6s, though, and that’s Force Touch. The feature that’s currently on the Apple Watch and some MacBook models will give iPhone 6s users another way to interact with apps, like looking up word definitions and dropping a pin in Maps.
It’s said that there are currently prototype iPhone 6s units floating around in Apple’s labs and that the Cupertino firm is working with app developers to work Force Touch into their software. However, because Force Touch is a new hardware feature that’ll only be available in the still-unofficial iPhone 6s, it’s unlikely that Apple will announce anything about it at WWDC. Instead, the company will probably wait until the new iPhone models debut later in 2015.
Force Touch is already infiltrating Apple’s product lineup in a big way, becoming a new way to navigate apps on both the Apple Watch and MacBook models. As a result, it’s not too surprising to hear that Apple wants to include the feature in its next iPhone (and possibly iPad) as well. With its bigger screen, though, it’ll be interesting to see how the haptic feedback works and how app developers integrate Force Touch into their iPhone apps.
On the iOS 9 front, Apple is reportedly working on a few small but still notable features. For example, Apple is said to be working on a refreshed software keyboard with better portrait editing controls and a better shift button. Also said to be coming in iOS 9 is support for Apple Pay in Canada and iMessage improvements that include read receipts for group chats and granular controls that’ll let you set contact-by-contact rules for read receipts.