Apple ‘iPhone X’-exclusive iOS 11 features leaked, reveals new keypad, Animoji, Face ID and more

It’s all out! The latest leak shows Apple’s plans to change the way you use the next iPhone. We have known for a while that Apple is working to dramatically overhaul the operating system with iOS 11, and that the new OS comes with fixes for slowness, app crashes and even phone restarts. However, today’s leak along with some new iOS 11 features, also reveals some that will rollout solely on the anniversary edition iPhone. And you wonder the source? Well, Apple revealed what is supposed to be the final build version of the software in the beta stage for developers called, Gold Master version of iOS 11. Here’s taking a look at some of these features.

Wallpapers

One of the first things the GM version reveals is that the OS will come with a handful of new wallpapers. This was first spotted by 9to5Mac, which said that they have received an advanced copy of Apple’s iOS 11 GM firmware, which is officially scheduled to launch the coming week. These include several brand new wallpapers, including “seven sure-to-be-popular retro-styled versions and an all-black wallpaper fit for OLED displays.” A total of 16 new wallpapers for iPhone was discovered. These include different versions of the Apple six color retro logo, six new flower wallpapers, and three new space wallpapers. This wallpapers will apparently come to all of the three new iPhones.

Take a look at some of the wallpapers below:

You can find all the wallpapers here.

Portrait mode

“Portrait Lighting, which we believe will launch in beta similar to Portrait mode last year, supports Contour Light, Natural Light, Stage Light, Stage Light Mono, and Studio Light,” writes 9to5Mac.. “It’s possible this Portrait mode enhancement could be related to the flash when shooting. Also present is new video recording resolution and capture speeds.”

Apple iPhone 8, which is now supposedly the iPhone X, will flaunt a near bezel-less display, however, there has been a lot of difference of opinion on how Apple will handle the status bar icons. In the latest development, the firmware confirms that animations will help provide status bar information on either side of the camera. The left side of the status bar will feature the clock time, with the right side primary displaying Wi-Fi, cellular signal strength, and battery life. On the iPhone X, it appears Apple will apply a more subtle background effect to the left side of the status bar.

Keypad

The keypad is receiving a rehaul too, but the latest leak only shows how it would be on the iPhone X. According to a tweet shared by Stroughton Smith, while essentially keeping the design, the keypad on iOS 11 will receive changes like the placement of emoticon and speech to type below the keypad, as opposed to its earlier placement on the top.

The long-rumored facial-recognition technology will apparently unlock iPhone X, and will be called the ‘Face ID.’ An animated GIF found in the code apparently shows how users will set up Face ID on their devices.

Animoji

Also coming to iOS 11 are Animoji. These are animated emoji that use your voice and reflect your facial expressions. Users will be able to make Animoji of robots, pigs, a pile of poo and much more. In the iOS 11 code, Animoji is described as ‘custom animated messages that use your voice and reflect your facial expressions’. Users create them from within the Messages app on an iPhone. However, it appears the feature will be exclusive to the iPhone X considering it will need the face-tracking 3D sensor hardware.

Airpods

The iOS 11 firmware also shows a revision of Apple’s wireless AirPods. The reports suggest that there is no major upgrade, apart from the fact that the charging indicator has been relocated to the outside of the case to make it easier to check on battery status. The below image shows that the refreshed AirPods looks identical to the existing one.

Apple Watch

Meanwhile, 9to5Mac has also discovered that the next iteration of the Apple Watch will have LTE connectivity. The image was discovered in the iOS 11 GM. As you can see, the new Apple Watch has also made an appearance in the Watch app sporting a red-digital crown, a signal meter. The GM version also suggests that the Apple Watch will be able to make calls over LTE, sharing a phone number with the iPhone. It is also rumored that Apple will release two versions: one with LTE and one without it.

The iOS 11 GM leak has so far confirmed an LTE Apple Watch and new AirPods revision, “Face ID” facial recognition details, a new “animoji” feature for Messages, and Apple’s forthcoming iPhone lineup — iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X.