Apple Reportedly Shelves ‘Walkie-Talkie’ Feature Allowing iPhone-to-iPhone Messaging Without Wi-Fi or Cellular

Apple has shelved a “walkie-talkie” function that might have allowed iPhone customers to speak with one another in areas with out mobile protection, similar to whereas snowboarding or mountain climbing, in keeping with The Information.

The report claims Apple was working with Intel on the undertaking, which supposedly would have enabled iPhone customers to ship messages on to different iPhone customers over long-distance radio waves that bypass mobile networks, including that the expertise was designed to run over the 900 MHz radio spectrum.

This function is to not be confused with the Apple Watch’s Walkie-Talkie function, which depends on Wi-Fi or a mobile connection.

The undertaking is alleged to have been suspended partly as a result of the Apple government heading it, Rubén Caballero, left the corporate earlier this 12 months. The expertise additionally relied on Intel modems, in keeping with the report, and Apple is predicted to start out utilizing Qualcomm modems in iPhones once more beginning in 2020.

The expertise may nonetheless present up in future iPhones, however growth of the function seems to be on maintain for now.