iOS 10.1, tvOS 10.0.1 and watchOS 3.1 beta 2 released to developers

Apple has rolled out the second betas for iOS 10.1, tvOS 10.0.1 and watchOS 3.1 to developers. All the new updates bring the usual performance improvements and bug fixes to their respective devices that are traditional with any point 1 release for Apple operating systems. However, iOS 10.1 also brings a new Portrait Mode to iPhone 7 Plus.

Portrait Mode, exclusive to iPhone 7 Plus thanks to its dual camera setup, was announced during launch. It brings DSLR style blur and bokeh effect to photos by utilizing the two cameras to create a depth map. The result is not exactly like what you would get from a DSLR camera with an f1.8 lens (iPhone 7 Plus lens also has an f1.8 aperture) but it is still beautiful. Is it not clear yet whether iOS 10.1 beta 2 brings any improvements to Portrait Mode.

Other noticeable changes include a modification to the stickers drawer in iMessages app. The dots have now been replaced by a scroll bar which will shrink as you keep adding more stickers and apps to iMessage. The issue with dots is that it does not work well when users have too many iMessage stickers or apps installed and considering their popularity, it is a much-needed change. Users can also replay text message effects by tapping on a Replay button under message bubbles. iMessage effects also work even if you have Reduce Motion enabled. In iOS 10.0.2, iMessage effects stop working if you enable Reduce Motion.

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users are also reporting improved performance and animations however that does not seem to be the case with all users.

watchOS 3.1 beta 1 had brought some considerable performance improvements to Apple Watch and beta 2 does the same.tvOS 10.1

tvOS 10.1 beta 2 has some bug fixes included as well, however, it still does not include the Single Sign-on feature for cable subscribers. Single Sign-on was supposed to let users sign in once using their cable subscription account and get a list of apps supported by their subscription. Apple has not announced when it will make its way to users.