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Apple releases first iOS 10.2 public beta with new emoji, wallpapers, more

Apple has released the first public beta version of iOS 10.2 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Previously only available to registered developers for testing, iOS 10.2 includes several upcoming features like Unicode 9.0 emoji, iPhone 7 wallpapers, and new camera features.

Apple’s public beta program is free to participate in unlike its paid developer program. iOS 10.2 will be released to everyone in the future, and the public beta allows more users to test pre-release versions of the software update before it’s finalized.

These are the changes discovered in iOS 10.2 beta:

  • Three new wallpapers in iOS 10.2 beta (only for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus)
  • New widget for Videos app
  • New Preserve Camera setting
  • New emoji (looks like Unicode 9.0 update/also on macOS 10.12.2, watchOS 3.1.1)
  • New ‘Press and Hold to Speak’ menu under Home Button Accessibility settings
  • New ‘Celebration’ Messages screen effect
  • New ‘Show Star Ratings’ option under Music Settings
  • New headphone icon in status bar for Bluetooth audio devices (previously seen with the Beats Solo3)

For a detailed walkthrough on how to install the iOS 10.2 public beta, check out Jeff Benjamin‘s video tutorial below or read the full guide here:

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