Patently Apple first reported on a radial menu patent back in 2012 when Apple was granted their first patent. It was actually filed back in 2008 or five years prior to Samsung introducing "Air Commands" at an event on September 4, 2013 for their Galaxy Note.

Since then Patently Apple has posted several other patent reports on this possible future feature for both iOS and macOS (01, 02, 03, 04, and more). 

Apple's granted patent covers an improved user interface of an electronic device for providing an 'options menu.' Devices, methods, and graphical user interfaces for a menu of options enables users of electronic devices to view and select available options more effectively and efficiently, improving a speed of user interactions with the options menu to make such selections, and thereby decreasing energy used by the electronic devices, and potentially extending the battery life of the device.

 The radial menu includes a first sequence of selectable options that extends off of an edge of the display so that a first portion of the first sequence of selectable options is displayed while a second portion of the first sequence of selectable options is not displayed. The radial menu also includes a first selection region at a first fixed location on the radial menu.

Apple's patent FIG. 5 below is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for providing a radial menu user interface; FIG. 9B illustrates sliding the second sequence of options around a second ring of the radial menu; FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram of an electronic device.

Today's published patent is a "continuation patent" wherein they've decided to scrap their previous 20 patent claims entirely and replace them with a new set of 10 patent figures that describes the heart of the patent and what Apple want to legally protect. Below are two of the new patent claims that are key for this radial menu invention:

New Patent Claim 01: "An electronic device, comprising: a display; one or more processors; and memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for: concurrently displaying, on the display, a user interface region and a radial menu, wherein the radial menu is overlaid on the user interface region and the radial menu includes: a set of options; a selection area at a fixed location on the radial menu, wherein a first option from the set of options is displayed in the selection area and a second option from the set of options is displayed outside the selection area; while displaying the radial menu, detecting a first input at a location corresponding to the radial menu; in response to detecting the first input, moving the first option outside the selection area and the second option into the selection area; while the second menu options is in the selection area, detecting a triggering condition for ceasing to display the radial menu; in response to detecting the triggering condition: ceasing to display at least a portion of the radial menu; and displaying an affordance corresponding to a representation of the radial menu at a location that was previously occupied by a portion of the radial menu; while the radial menu is not displayed on the display, detecting a second input on the affordance corresponding to the representation of the radial menu; and in response to detecting the second input, displaying the radial menu, wherein the radial menu includes the second option displayed in the selection area.

New Patent Claim 09: A method, comprising: at an electronic device: concurrently displaying, on a display, a user interface region and a radial menu, wherein the radial menu is overlaid on the user interface region and the radial menu includes: a set of options; a selection area at a fixed location on the radial menu, wherein a first option from the set of options is displayed in the selection area and a second option from the set of options is displayed outside the selection area; while displaying the radial menu, detecting a first input at a location corresponding to the radial menu; in response to detecting the first input, moving the first option outside the selection area and the second option into the selection area; while the second menu options is in the selection area, detecting a triggering condition for ceasing to display the radial menu; in response to detecting the triggering condition: ceasing to display at least a portion of the radial menu; and displaying an affordance corresponding to a representation of the radial menu at a location that was previously occupied by a portion of the radial menu; while the radial menu is not displayed on the display, detecting a second input on the affordance corresponding to the representation of the radial menu; and in response to detecting the second input, displaying the radial menu, wherein the radial menu includes the second option displayed in the selection area.

To review the remaining 8 new patent claims and the invention in general, check out Apple's continuation patent 20210191582.  

Considering that this is a continuation patent, the timing of such a feature to market is unknown at this time. However, the likelihood of this patent coming to market may depend on whether Apple decides to bring the use of Apple Pencil to the iPhone to take on Samsung's Galaxy Note smartphone.