Apple Releases First Betas of iOS 10.2, macOS 10.12.2 watchOS 3.1.1, and tvOS 10.1 (UPDATED)

(Updated to include information about what’s new in iOS 10.2)

Apple on Monday released the first betas of iOS 10.2, macOS Sierra 10.12.2, watchOS 3.1.1, and tvOS 10.1 to registered developers.

iOS 10.2 Beta

Today’s first iOS 10.2 beta seed is available as an over-the-air update to developers who have the beta configuration profile installed on their iOS devices. Or, it can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center. A public beta will likely be available for public beta testers soon.

(UPDATE) – New features have been found in the iOS 10.2 beta. These include:

• Unicode 9 emoji are included in the first iOS 10.2 beta release. New emoji include: a clown face, drooling face, selfie, fox face, owl, shark, butterfly, avocado, pancakes, croissant, and more. There are over a hundred new emoji, available in both male and female genders, including professions such as: firefighter, lawyer, doctor, scientist, and many more. In addition, many existing emoji have also seen significant redesigns.
• New wallpapers are available, which use the same graphics as the latest iPhone 7 marketing materials.
• A new “Celebrate” Screen Effect is available, to be used to add an effect to a message in the Messages app.
• A new option allows for saving your last known camera settings. This saves and uses your last Camera Mode, Photo Filter, or Live Photo setting. The “Preserve Settings” toggle is available in “Settings” -> “Photos & Camera.”
• A new “Videos” widget is available for the Today screen. It displays movies and TV shows from the Videos app, content will play with just a tap.
• A new feature will automatically notify your emergency contacts when you use the Emergency SOS feature on your iPhone or Apple Watch. A popup notification tells you about the new feature when you open the Health app after installing iOS 10.2.
• Apple Music includes a new option to sort playlists by type, title, and recently added. There are also new options for sorting songs and albums by title or artist.

(Via MacRumors)

macOS Sierra 10.12.2

The first macOS Sierra 10.12.2 beta seed is available for download through the Apple Developer Center, as well as through the “Update” tab in the Mac App Store. A public beta will likely be available for public beta testers soon.

watchOS 3.1.1 Beta

The first watchOS 3.1.1 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Watch app on an iPhone running the iOS 10.2 beta by going to “General” -> “Software Update.” The Apple Watch must have 50% battery life remaining, be placed on an Apple Watch charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone.

tvOS 10.1 Beta

The first beta seed of tvOS 10.1 is also currently available to developers.

tvOS betas are a bit more involved to install than beta updates for iOS and OS X. Users must connect the Apple TV to to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, and install the update via iTunes or Apple Configurator. However, once a beta profile has been installed on the device, new beta releases are available over the air.

What’s New

At the moment, we don’t know what changes, fixes, and additions these new betas all hold for users. However, we’ll update you right here, as we learn more.