Apple released iOS 11 to the iPhone and iPad-loving masses on Tuesday, but a deeper look within the new software shows one heavily-touted feature is MIA.
AppleInsider reports the advertised Messages in iCloud feature is not available within the first consumer release of iOS 11.
The feature, explained at WWDC back in June, is designed to sync message deletions across Apple devices.
Related: iOS 11 problems and how to fix them
Messages in iCloud is also supposed to store older messages, enabling users to save storage space on their devices.
The company removed the feature from the early beta versions, but the assumption was it’d be back in by the time the final product arrived.
However, it’s nowhere to be seen and there’s no mention of Messages in iCloud on the iOS 11 feature page.
Missing in action
Apple often delivers key features in later versions of a big iOS release, so we’d assume it’ll be built into iOS 11.1 or 11.2.
One of last year’s headline additions, the iPhone 7 Plus portrait mode, arrived in iOS 10.1. However, Apple was upfront about that early omission.
It’s unclear why Messages in iCloud hasn’t shipped with iOS 11, but it joins peer-to-peer Apple Pay and AirPlay 2 on the current absentee list.
The former will enable iOS 11 users to send cash to each other, while the latter makes it possible to connect to multiple speakers, making it ideal for those with compatible multi-room audio systems.
Have you noticed any more missing features in iOS 11? Share them with us @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.