Apple Releases First iOS 10.1 Beta to Public Beta Testers With Portrait Mode for iPhone 7 Plus

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming iOS 10 update to public beta testers for testing purposes, just under two weeks after releasing iOS 10 to the public and one day after providing the iOS 10.1 beta to developers.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program will receive the iOS 10 beta update over-the-air after installing the proper certificate on their iOS device.

Those who want to be a part of Apple's beta testing program can sign up to participate through the beta testing website, which gives users access to both iOS and macOS Sierra betas. Betas are not stable and include many bugs, so they should be installed on a secondary device.

iphone_7_plus_dual_camera
iOS 10.1 introduces a "Portrait" mode for the iPhone 7 Plus, which was first shown off when the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus debuted on September 7. Portrait mode is designed to mimic the kind of shallow depth of field images that can be taken with a high-end DSLR, with a front subject that stands out over a blurred background.

The two cameras in the iPhone 7 Plus capture images, which are scanned by the built-in image signal processor. Machine learning techniques are use to recognize people and/or foreground images, keeping people and main objects in while applying an artful blue or "bokeh" to the background.


Portrait mode is an iPhone 7 Plus-only feature because it requires two images to create a depth map. iOS 10.1 also likely includes bug fixes and behind-the-scenes updates to address issues that have popped up since release.

iOS 10 offers features like a redesigned Lock screen, a Siri SDK to allow third-party apps to integrate with Siri, and a completely overhauled Messages app with stickers, a full App Store, Digital Touch, Bubble Effects, and more. Other new additions include a dedicated "Home" app for HomeKit users, new facial and object recognition capabilities in Photos, and redesigned Maps and Apple Music apps.

Related Forum: iOS 10

Popular Stories

Alleged iPhone 17 Pro Antenna Design

Two All-New iPhone 17 Colors Seemingly Confirmed

Monday August 25, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple will offer the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max in a new orange color, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman made the claim in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, adding that the new iPhone 17 Air – replacing the iPhone 16 Plus – will come in a new light blue color. We've heard multiple rumors about a new iPhone 17 Pro color being a shade of orange. The ...
AirPods Pro 3 Heart Rate Tracking Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Expected to Launch This Year With Key New Feature

Sunday August 24, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects Apple to release new AirPods Pro this year, and he said the earbuds will have a key new feature: heart rate monitoring. From his Power On newsletter today, with emphasis added:As for Apple's other devices, there's a lot in the fall pipeline — though many of the new products are only incremental upgrades. There will be Apple Watch updates, faster Vision...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 12 New Features

Sunday August 24, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max should be unveiled in a few more weeks, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman corroborated a rumor that iPhone 17 Pro models will be "available in an orange color." Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are...
iPhone 17 Air Thumb 2 Blue Electric Boogaloo

Apple Has Reportedly Considered Releasing iPhone 17 Air Bumper Case

Sunday August 24, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple has "considered" releasing a bumper case for the upcoming iPhone 17 Air, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Similar to the bumper case that Apple introduced for the iPhone 4 in 2010, Gurman said the iPhone 17 Air version of the case would cover the edges of the device, but not the back of it. Those bumper cases were made of rubber. Given that the iPhone 17 Air is expected to have ...
Awe Dropping Apple Event Feature

Five Things to Expect From Apple's 'Awe Dropping' September 9 Event

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:17 pm PDT by
Apple today announced its "Awe Dropping" iPhone-centric event, which is set to take place on Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. There are a long list of products that are coming, but we thought we'd pull out five feature highlights to look forward to. That Super Thin iPhone - Apple's September 9 event will see the unveiling of the first redesigned iPhone we've had in years, ...
awe dropping event

Apple Event Announced for September 9: 'Awe Dropping'

Tuesday August 26, 2025 9:01 am PDT by
Apple will hold its annual iPhone-centric event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, according to an announcement that went out today. The event will start at 10:00 a.m., with select members of the media invited to attend. At the September 2025 iPhone event, Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 lineup, which includes an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air. It...
Awe Dropping Apple Event Feature

Apple Event Logo Hints at Two iPhone 17 Pro Features

Wednesday August 27, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
Apple's logo for its upcoming September 9 event hints at two rumored iPhone 17 Pro features, including new color options and a vapor chamber cooling system. Of course, this is all just speculation for fun, as we count down the final days until the event. New Colors Last month, Macworld's Filipe Espósito reported that orange and dark blue would be two out of the five color options...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3: Four Key Design Changes Anticipated

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:05 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022 other than a shift from Lightning to USB-C, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple will launch AirPods Pro 3 later this year, and apart from new features like heart rate monitoring, we're also expecting a few design changes. The fourth‑generation AirPods offer useful clues to Apple's design cues for ...

Top Rated Comments

fs454 Avatar
117 months ago
This bolka effect its nothing new to smartphones. Galaxy S7 already surpassed the DSLR by having a fast autofocus
Ah, how could I forget!! Does anyone want to buy my 7+ 128GB? I need to buy an S7 now.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
117 months ago
Let's see how funny you are when Galaxy S8 comes out this fall?
People were also saying "wait until the Note 7 is released. It's gonna destroy the competition."

As far as I recall, it only destroyed hotel rooms.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WiseAJ Avatar
117 months ago
Is there anything else new in 10.1? Sounds like its only a useful update for those of us that have 7 Pluses.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ZCT Avatar
117 months ago
This bokeh effect its nothing new to smartphones. Galaxy S7 already surpassed the DSLR by having a faster autofocus
HA HA HA HA!

Nice one.

If you think that ANY smartphone has come close to ANY half decent DSLR, then you know nothing about photography or physics.

As for 'surpassed' sure. And let me guess, it also transforms into a space ship and can fly you to the moon? I'll join you there for cocktails this evening.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
117 months ago
I have to say that I'm massively impressed with Apple's recent commitment to software QA and stability. I don't remember so many betas and GMs being thrown about before release.

Plus the more devices out there, the more bugs people will encounter. Apple's growth over the last 5 years has been exponential.

They've learned a lot from buggy disasters on launch date. iOS 7 and OS X Lion immediately spring to mind.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mlochowitz Avatar
117 months ago
It's not perfect, but I'm sure it will improve over time. As it is, since you get both the original and depth mapped image you can open them as layers in Photoshop and clean them up using a layer mask. Here is an example of the original off the camera and a 30 second 'fix' in Photoshop. This was just a test snapshot.

[doublepost=1474584777][/doublepost]Here is another example of an image straight off the phone. It's not bad, you have to understand how the camera/software is going to react and what the limitations are but it opens a lot of possibilities. This is a pretty easy shot that looks much better having the subject isolated. Can I find fault? Yep, but I still think it's a lot of fun and I can't wait to see how far they can push this.

Attachment Image

Attachment Image

Attachment Image
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)