Amid rumors of Apple developing new speakers with “screens and cameras,” the Cupertino-based tech giant has reportedly added FaceTime and iMessage framework to tvOS 14.5 beta code. The iPhone maker has also added a new AVFCapture framework related to capturing images, according to a report from MacRumors.
The addition of these new features to the tvOS beta code suggests that the FaceTime, iMessage, and image capture frameworks could come to HomePod as well. To those of you unaware, Apple uses the same tvOS code as the basis for the HomePod software, indicating the new frameworks added to tvOS in tvOS 14.5 beta could actually be designed for a future HomePod — a HomePod that has a screen and a camera.
FaceTime Framework in tvOS, HomePod 14.5 Beta
You might already know that the HomePod and HomePod mini are capable of using FaceTime audio already, but the new FaceTime framework that has been discovered in the tvOS 14.5 beta is said to be “entirely distinct from any code related to the existing audio FaceTime feature.” The new frameworks are available to select testers through the tvOS 15.5 beta and the HomePod software 14.5 beta. While there is no “imminent launch” planned for the speaker with a camera, the product with such features is not likely to come that soon.
Further, the report also speculates that the new FaceTime, iMessage, and AVFCapture frameworks appearing in the tvOS 14.5 beta code could have an entirely different purpose. Apple may keep these frameworks hidden in the code or may use them for an unspecified feature coming to a future HomePod or Apple TV. Apart from this, the new changes to the 14.5 beta suggest some kind of trivia game for Siri that Apple may be developing to provide trivia questions for users to answer. It is reportedly labeled as “Siri Edutainment” in the latest code.
