iOS 9 might change to iMessage, keyboard and Apple Pay with Force Touch support in the 'iPhone 6S'

The next iPhone, which is already being called the “iPhone 6S,” will herald the launch of not only new hardware, but also the public launch of the next iteration of iOS, believed to be iOS 9. It could also mean the introduction of Force Touch on the iPhone, too.

Now, according to a report published recently by 9to5Mac, Apple is looking to bring its Force Touch technology, which is one of the paramount features for the Apple Watch (and some MacBook trackpads), to the iPhone. The report indicates that Apple has included support for the technology in iOS 9, and that it will be accessible to those who buy an iPhone 6S later this year. The report indicates that the next iPhone will look like the iPhone 6 from 2014, so Apple will follow its own routine yet again in 2015 when it comes to yearly refreshes.

Developers are reportedly gaining the ability to integrate Force Touch into App Store apps right now, and the report suggests that Apple is implementing the new feature to help clear up some control space within the platform. It should also replace some press-and-hold button interactions in iOS as well.

Interestingly enough, Apple’s goals for Force Touch with the iPhone is closer to that on the MacBook trackpads than the Apple Watch. The company aims to allow users to control media playback through Force Touch, for example, or drop pins in Apple Maps. Utilizing Force Touch in Calendar, in another example, can quickly add a new event.

Interestingly enough, the report suggests that Force Touch for the iPhone 6S won’t be unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, where Apple is expected to announce iOS 9 proper. Instead, Apple will talk about Force Touch for the iPhone at its iPhone-specific event later this year, when it unveils the iPhone 6S. Considering its a hardware feature, and more than likely one of the selling points for the next iteration of Apple’s smartphone, that makes the most sense.

Apple plans on launching Pay, it’s mobile payments option, in Canada at some point in the future, and according to the report it will indeed be the first international site to launch the option. With iOS 9, the security features and foundation are being built for Canadian banks and credit unions within the Passbook application. However, it’s unclear whether or not that announcement will be coming at WWDC, either, as some complications in the deals necessary to launch the mobile payment solution could still be holding it up.

The keyboard in iOS 9 is reportedly getting a focus on changes, too, with Apple reportedly trying out several different versions of the software ‘board to find the perfect implementation in iOS 9. The report suggests that the iOS 9 keyboard could be longer than the current version, with more editing options while in portrait mode. Apple also apparently believes that the iOS 8 QuickType keyboard isn’t accessible easily enough, and is looking to change that in the next version of the mobile platform.

Finally, iMessage is getting some changes, too, with many changes coming to the way read receipts are handled. Specifically, in iOS 9, users will be able to select specific contacts they’d like to send read receipts to, while others will not get the notification. Group chat threads will get read receipts, too, as Apple has been upgrading the back-end to support this feature.

Right now, iOS 9 is sounding like it will be an impressive update, even if the main focus of this release is for optimizations and enhancements behind the scenes. Indeed, we’ve heard that iOS 9 will see a makeover for Siri, finally bring transit data for Apple Maps, while also bringing a new font –San Francisco– across the entire system to keep the aesthetic fresh. Deep linking is also believed to be coming to iOS 9, which could make it easier to access separate apps from a link provided in another app.

What do you think of iOS 9 so far? Looking forward to the update later this year?

[via 9to5Mac]