RazorianFly points to a Tweet from developer John Heaton revealing strings within the iOS code making reference to iChat-related services such as Jabber and AIM that are not currently supported directly by Apple on iOS.
Speculation has naturally turned to the possibility that Apple is working on an application to integrate full iChat capabilities into iOS, although that may be something of a stretch. Rather, it seems more likely that the code is part of a general IMService framework to support all of Apple's messaging protocols regardless of whether support for the actual services is included on a given platform.
Apple currently supports a variety of messaging and video communication services on its Mac OS X and iOS platforms, using a somewhat complex array of applications. On iOS, Apple's new iMessage service is handled through the Messages app that also handles SMS and MMS on the iPhone, while FaceTime is handled through the Phone app itself on the iPhone and a standalone app on the iPod touch and iPad 2.
On Mac OS X, iChat handles basic messaging services such as AIM and Jabber, as well as audio and video chat capabilities of those services, while FaceTime is supported in the form of a separate application. iMessage is not yet supported on Mac OS X, although code strings and rumors have suggested that the feature will be coming to the Mac.
Speculation has naturally turned to the possibility that Apple is working on an application to integrate full iChat capabilities into iOS, although that may be something of a stretch. Rather, it seems more likely that the code is part of a general IMService framework to support all of Apple's messaging protocols regardless of whether support for the actual services is included on a given platform.
Apple currently supports a variety of messaging and video communication services on its Mac OS X and iOS platforms, using a somewhat complex array of applications. On iOS, Apple's new iMessage service is handled through the Messages app that also handles SMS and MMS on the iPhone, while FaceTime is handled through the Phone app itself on the iPhone and a standalone app on the iPod touch and iPad 2.
On Mac OS X, iChat handles basic messaging services such as AIM and Jabber, as well as audio and video chat capabilities of those services, while FaceTime is supported in the form of a separate application. iMessage is not yet supported on Mac OS X, although code strings and rumors have suggested that the feature will be coming to the Mac.
19 comments
Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming iOS 12.2 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the fifth beta of iOS 12.2 and two months after the release of iOS 12.1.4.
...
LG today detailed upcoming availability of its 2019 NanoCell LED 4K Ultra HD smart TVs with AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support.
The new NanoCell lineup is divided into the Nano 8 and Nano 9...
Apple today introduced an all-new iPad Air with a 10.5-inch Retina display, A12 Bionic chip, and first-generation Apple Pencil support.
The new iPad Air is a lower-cost replacement for the...
Apple today launched a new fifth-generation iPad mini, featuring an upgraded A12 Bionic processor, first-generation Apple Pencil support, a new advanced Retina display panel, and the same $399...
In one week, Apple will host a media event in California focused mainly on details about its upcoming TV streaming service. This week, The New York Times published a report about the state of a few...
Apple's online store has gone down this morning. The company typically takes the site down pending changes to its product lineup, so we may well see new product announcements later today.
...
Spotify on Wednesday announced it filed an antitrust complaint against Apple with the European Commission over unfair App Store practices. Apple responded two days later, labeling the complaint as...
Stanford Medicine researchers presented their findings of the Apple Heart Study at the American College of Cardiology's 68th Annual Scientific Session and Expo in New Orleans today, as noted by...
