Code iOS contains reference to Li-Fi data communication via light

In iOS 9.1, there is code with references to LiFi. Apple seems to be working on support for data communication via light, although the technology is still largely in the experimental phase.

In iOS 9.1 there is a library cache file that contains the term LiFiCapability, discovered a Twitter user along with Apple Insider. The manufacturer seems to be working on a Li-Fi application. In this technique, the flicker of visible light from an LED lamp is modulated in such a way that a data signal can be transferred to a receiver. The blinks are invisible to the human eye.

The advantage is that a network with high speeds can be set up easily and cheaply. The disadvantage is that the range is limited and the source must be visible to the receiver. Researchers have already managed to achieve speeds of hundreds of gigabits with the technology, but there are still very few applications for consumers.

At CES 2016, the company Basic6 demonstrated a geo-li-fi application, which allows shops or museums to determine the location of visitors based on li-fi, and trigger a trigger based on the lamp illuminating their mobile device.

The inventor of li-fi is Harald Haas, a German professor at the University of Edinburgh. He demonstrated the technology himself in 2011 during a TED talk and recently showed that it also works in combination with solar panels.