Force Touch coming to iPhone 6S?

Force Touch, a feature found in the Apple Watch, could be coming to the upcoming high-end version of the iPhone, an Apple-centric website said.

The feature is likely to be included in iOS 9 along with split-screen apps on iPads and a new Home app to control HomeKit accessories, 9to5mac.com reported.

"Sources confirm that the next-generation iPhone will look like an iPhone 6 but will include a Force Touch display with haptic feedback as one of its marquee feature additions. To go with the new hardware, Apple has designed iOS 9 to be Force Touch-ready and is working to let developers integrate Force Touch into App Store apps," it said.

It added Force Touch on the iPhone will clear up control space and may replace some long press-and-hold button interactions.

The Force Touch for iPhone will offer similar functionality to the Force Touch Trackpads in the new Retina MacBooks and Retina MacBook Pros.

"Force Touch will be integrated into Maps to drop new pins, into media players for pressure-sensitive scrolling, into the Calendar for adding new events, and across the system for quickly looking up word definitions," it said, citing sources who used Force Touch on the prototype 6S.

Power user

Citing one of its sources, 9to5mac said Force Touch on the iPhone 6S will be more “power user-centric” - meaning it will not be that essential in using the iPhone.

On the other hand, 9to5mac said Force Touch may be adopted in future iPads.

Updated keyboard

Apple is also working on an updated keyboard for iOS 9 with new keyboard designs, including one slightly longer and has added editing controls while in portrait mode.

iMessage

9to5mac said iMessage may get minor but important enhancements with Apple upgrading its back end infrastructure to support read receipts for group chat threads, and read receipts on a contact-by-contact basis.

"This means that iOS 9 users will be able to activate read receipts for only certain contacts, such as parents or friends, while leaving read status ambiguous for work colleagues," it said.

Other iOS 9 goodies include a new system-wide UI font, mass transit directions service for the Maps app, and major performance enhancements. — Joel Locsin/LBG, GMA News