Apple Releases Second iOS 10.1 Beta to Public Beta Testers

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming iOS 10 update to public beta testers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the first iOS 10.1 public beta and one day after providing the second beta to developers. It's been three weeks since iOS 10 was released to the public.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program will receive the new iOS 10.1 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.

iOS 10.1 introduces a “Portrait” mode for the iPhone 7 Plus, which takes advantage of the dual cameras in the device. 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 to create a depth map. Machine learning techniques are used to recognize people and/or foreground images, keeping people and main objects in focus while applying an artful blur or "bokeh" to the background. The 10.1 update also includes bug fixes and performance improvements to address issues discovered since the release of iOS 10 and it features some tweaks to the Messages interface, replacing dots that represented each installed app with a scroll bar.

iOS 10 is a major operating system update that includes 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.