After seven beta tests, Apple has finally released the latest public version for their iPhone and iPad software: iOS 10.2.
The software update is available for iPhone 5 and later, iPad 4th gen and later, and iPod Touch 6th gen and later. If you have any of these compatible devices, you can download iOS 10.2 for free.
Just connect your device to iTunes to get the update through a computer, or download the update directly onto device by heading over to Settings > General > Software Update
New Features in iOS 10.2
Apart from bug fixes and performance enhancements, iOS 10.2 also brings with it a whole lot of exciting new features:
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- A Video App Widget placed on the lock screen will show you snippets of the latest videos you’ve shot using the phone’s camera.
- A bunch of new wallpapers to spice up your iPhone’s look.
- New “Preserve Settings” option in the camera app lets you save your filters, modes, exposure, etc. while using the camera, so that the next time you want a similar effect, you don’t have to go through the entire process again.
- A new TV App, which is not very useful in India right now, so we won’t get into the details
- Apple Music has been redesigned to give you better control (and customization) over your playlist, albums, and songs.
- New screen effects in iMessages are sure to get your heart racing. Additions include screens like “Celebrate” and “Send with Love”.
- Hardcore texting fans will be glad to know that Apple has added a whole bunch of new emojis to iOS 10.2. Now you can express precisely what you want to say in high-resolution, multi-color, and multi-racial digital imagery.
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- A new “Headphone icon” in the status bar will appear whenever you connect your iPhone/iPad/iPod to an external headphone.
- Software enhancements in the Photos app now let you take better pictures. iOS 10.2 also adds the ability to process these images faster, so the smart searching and categorization your phone does will be even smarter!
- HomeKit gets a huge upgrade, but again, it’s not very relevant to folks here in India, so we’ll let that pass as well.
- Bluetooth connectivity gets a boost. Now it’s easier to connect/pair third-party Bluetooth devices with your iPhone/iPad.
- Performance enhancements in Safari have made the browser much more stable and upped the performance as well. However, it has long way to go before it catches up with the mobile version of Chrome.
- One of the biggest improvements comes in the form of security. Apparently, the iTunes backups are now ‘a 1000 times safer’ than before. (Read more)
So that’s it, folks! Go and download the latest iOS 10.2 right now and let us know how you feel about all the new changes. You can reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter.