14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has reportedly suspended plans for the development of an offline messaging app for the iPhone that would have worked similarly to a walkie-talkie system.
According to a report from the Information, Apple wanted to rely on the 900 megahertz radio system in order to allow iPhones to communicate to each other without the need for cellular coverage.
Such an approach is already being used for walkie-talkies, and the aforementioned source claims the application would have allowed iPhone users to send text messages even when a mobile signal wasn’t available.
Codenamed Project OGRS (which stands for Off-Grid Radio Service), the new feature has reportedly been suspended already, and while the reasons are still vague at this point, it’s believed the decision is connected to at least two recent changes at Apple.
Next year, maybe?
First of all, Ruben Caballero, who according to the cited source was the “project champion,” left the company in April. Without someone to lead the project, Apple had no other choice than to put it on hold, at least temporarily, albeit at this point it’s not yet clear if the company plans to resume work on this feature or not in the future.
Second of all, the decision to suspend the development is believed to have something to do with Apple’s collaboration with Intel.
Project OGRS was designed to work with Intel cellular modems, but given this company has recently announced its departure from the 5G modem business, such a feature wouldn’t have any future moving forward. Apple is already working on its own modems and has recently signed a multi-year partnership with Qualcomm, but again, plans regarding the walkie-talkie functionality are still uncertain.
What we know for sure is that the 2019 iPhone generation will lack such capabilities. The 2020 iPhone lineup, which should come with a more dramatic overhaul, could eventually get the offline messaging, especially as the models launching next year will include new modems developed by Qualcomm.