Now,Apple Inc. eyes LinkedIn in for deep integration in iOS 7

So far,Twitter is the only social network to get full red carpet treatment at Apple Inc.

Even though Twitter has been Apple Inc.’s pick of social networks to be integrated into iOS 7,it’s looking like LinkedIn could also make it to the chosen circle.

Further bolstering the presence of third-party social networks in iOS,Apple Inc. is testing deep LinkedIn integration for the upcoming release of iOS 7,according to code-based references found inside of the first beta of the operating system. The code points to a single-sign-on system,similar to how iOS integrates Facebook and Twitter,for LinkedIn accounts. The references also indicate that users will be able to easily post content,such as Web links,to LinkedIn via a share-sheet or through iOS applications.

The developer said that certain bits of code are missing for the integration to be activated. This could mean that Apple and LinkedIn are still currently in talks about the possible integration.

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However,Apple has tossed aside social networks from iOS integration before. For instance,iOS 4 tested Facebook integration,but it didn’t happen until iOS 6.

What exactly does deep integration mean? Well,for Twitter on iOS 7,it means a lot. Besides the social network being included in Shared Links,searches,and linked with Siri,there will also be a featured music station on Apple’s iTunes Radio that plays tracks trending on Twitter. For now,Facebook is only being integrated with iOS 7 — not deeply integrated.

When Apple announced the debut of iOS 7 at WWDC last week,it heralded many of the operating system’s new features,but it also left out some details. An initial beta of iOS 7 was released to developers last week,in what is expected to be the first of several ahead of its release. Over the last few days,several developers have been posting various updates,and features that they’ve discovered and believe will come with the new operating system.

Apple has not provided an exact date for its release,short of this autumn,when the company is also expected to introduce its next iPhone. There are still no beta versions of iOS 7 available for iPads,just the iPhone and latest-generation iPod Touch.