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We have seen some unmentioned iPhone OS 3.0 features being unearthed in the past and now it looks like we have got another one which Apple felt the need to say to us. Ars Technica’s sources have found traces of voice control features that will arrive in the upcoming 3.0 release of the OS. Codenamed as Jibbler, the exact usage of it is unclear but is expected to synthesize, recognize the user’s voice to carry out voice commands. It will be integrated to the SpringBoard as well as the Spotlight search.

Our sources turned up references to classes and methods named VSSpeechSynthesizer, VSRecognitionSession, SBVoiceControlDisableHandlerActions, SBSensitiveJibblerEnabled, and SBVoiceControlSoundCompletion. SB refers to SpringBoard, and VS likely refers to Voice Services. The separate Voice Services classes leave open the possibility that Apple may eventually allow access to these services via the official SDK. There’s no indication whether these voice features will be tied to newer hardware expected this summer or if the features will be compatible with existing iPhone hardware.

[Via Ars Technica]