Prior to its launch as part of iOS 5, talk was rife that iMessage would grow to become a much more central feature on the iPhone, with instant messaging integration and seamless access to the under-used FaceTime feature. And now evidence has emerged to suggest Apple is looking to beef up its iMessage service, with the discovery of iChat code within iOS.
John Heaton, an iOS developer, found mention of services such as FaceTime, Jabber and AIM within Apple’s mobile OS. This wider messaging capability is something that only iChat can currently offer Apple punters.
Previously, there’s been plenty of chatter about such a service letting you seamless integrate messages across OS X and iOS, allowing you to continue conversations no matter what device you happen to be using.
How soon this improved iMessage will come to light remains a mystery. But it’s now quite clear that Cupertino’s plans for the service extend beyond a simple BBM-style offering in iOS 5.
Via BGR
