Apple might get around to adding group calling to FaceTime in iOS 11

FaceTime is one of the core features built inside iOS (and macOS), and rumors from Israel suggest the app is going to get a significant upgrade in time for iOS 11 - group calling.

Apple usually shows off a preview of a brand new iOS every June at its Worldwide Developers Conference so we might have a while to wait before it's confirmed. Of course unlike Google, Apple updates all of its iOS apps (including FaceTime) at the same time as the mobile operating system itself.

The rumor comes via Israeli site The Verifier, and isn't the most rock solid of sources. Apple does have engineers working in the country though, so it's possible that the insiders speaking to The Verifier are the real deal.

Group call me, baby

Irrespective of the validity or otherwise of the rumor's source, it would be difficult to believe that Apple isn't working on adding group calling to FaceTime at some point in the future, letting users video chat in groups rather than just one-to-one.

It's a feature that's now live in young messaging upstarts such as Facebook Messenger, as well as long-lasting apps such as Microsoft's Skype and Google's Hangouts. If  group calling doesn't come to FaceTime soon, Apple risks using some precious market share.

While the source of the rumor might be questionable, we think the chance of group calling arriving in FaceTime is very likely - and WWDC 2017 would be the perfect stage to show it off to the world.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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