iOS 5 to get speech recognition features claims report

Possibly powered by Nuance, as Apple looks to bring its devices up to Android's voice recognition standard.

Apple's upcoming iOS 5 software is likely to include beefed-up voice recognition features, according to a report on 9 to 5 Mac.

The news site has a screenshot that appears to show how the feature will work, with a microphone key on the iOS virtual keyboard allowing users to talk and have their speech converted into text.

The report suggests that technology firm Nuance is powering the feature - a partnership between Apple and Nuance has been regularly rumoured in recent months. However, mentions of the new feature were distinctly absent when Apple unveiled iOS 5 earlier this year.

It remains to be seen whether it will be part of the initial iOS 5 release this autumn, or whether it will be saved for one of the future updates (iOS 5.1 or 5.2 for example).

Will voice recognition be a big feature for iOS? It's been one of the key advantages Google's Android platform has over Apple's, with the technology used for search, navigation and other Android apps. It is no surprise to see Apple keen to improve iOS' features in this regard, as a result.