According to serial Apple leaker Sonny Dickson, it will feature in the next iOS update, denoted 10.3, which Dickson says is due to start rolling out on 10 January.
Dickson also says that a popcorn-shaped icon will be added to the Apple control centre to operate it.
Future versions of the iPad and iPhone may include a newly designed “theatre mode”, designed to overcome the annoyance caused to filmgoers by cinema patrons checking their smartphones.
However, AppleInsider backs up Dickson’s claim of a 10 January start-date, saying its own site-tracker has shown a recent spike of visits from devices apparently running iOS 10.3.