iOS 11 will finally give users the ability to hold FaceTime group calls with multiple friends, according to a new report.
Sources familiar with Apple’s plans claim the feature will support up to five participants, and that users will be able to initiate video calling from within iMessage group chats.
Group video chat is already offered by rival services like Google Hangouts and Skype, so it’s certainly feasible that Apple is now looking to catch up in an effort to maintain FaceTime’s dominance on iOS device.
What’s more, FaceTime hasn’t seen any significant changes in years. Last year’s iOS 10 upgrade was largely focused on iMessage, which was brought up to speed with third-party messaging apps with the addition of stickers, built-in apps, and features like invisible ink.
It should also be noted, however, that this rumor comes from Israeli site The Verifier, which has no track record when it comes to Apple rumors. It claims to have garnered this information from “several people familiar with iOS development.”
The report doesn’t tell us much else about the FaceTime upgrade, other than group calls will support up to five people. That will allow the display on your iPhone or iPad to be split up neatly into four windows so you can see each participant simultaneously.
Apple will give us our first preview of iOS 11 at the Worldwide Developers Conference, which will likely take place in June. It doesn’t typically confirm dates until a couple of weeks before the event kicks off.
