Apple’s AR/VR headset plans could come to fruition this year. After a round of rumors and leaks, Apple has now dropped a big hint that its AR/VR headset will indeed appear in the near future, if not soon. The latest beta version of the iPhone software includes some internal features that will support augmented and virtual reality. It also confirmed that Apple is finally working on bringing push notifications to web apps on iOS.

Developer Maximiliano Firtman has discovered two major changes to the iOS 15.4 beta software. One is that Apple has included the WebXR API in the software, and the other is a combination of “built-in web notifications” and “push API” toggles.

The first will be used for Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality on the website, but since Apple’s iOS doesn’t yet support AR/VR headsets, the feature is disabled. However, it does provide solid evidence that Apple is working on headphones and may launch them in the near future. Since Apple has decided to disable this feature in an upcoming iOS update, it’s impossible for any third-party headphones to use it to configure the technology on the iPhone. Regardless, however, the feature does confirm Apple’s plans to eventually introduce AR/VR technology.

The second feature is long overdue from Apple. Web app push notifications as an Android PWA (Progressive Web App) feature is finally coming to the iPhone. While Safari on macOS supports alerts from websites in the background, iOS has never had such a feature. But iOS 15.4 hints that Apple is working in that direction. The beta software has two toggles: “Built-in Web Notifications” and “Push API” in the WebKit experimental feature within Safari. But according to 9to5Mac, those options don’t work right now. Regardless, there’s a strong sign that the web app is about to get an overhaul.

The beta software also shows that developers will no longer have to do extra work to assign web app icons on iOS devices. For four years, because the Web App Manifest on iOS did not support icon declarations, developers had to add specific code to provide app icons for their web apps. But Apple added support for generic custom icons in the next iPhone update.

iOS 15.4 is currently in beta, so these features may only be used for testing and Apple may or may not finalize them as a stable release. Regardless, they’re still a good hint at Apple’s store.

Complete News Source : India Today