Apple Releases First iOS 9.2.1 Beta for Public Beta Testers

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming iOS 9.2.1 update to its public beta testers, with the software being made available just a day after the first developer beta of iOS 9.2.1 launched. The iOS 9.2.1 beta comes a week and a half after the public release of iOS 9.2, the second major update to iOS 9.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple’s beta testing program will receive the iOS 9.2.1 update over-the-air after installing the proper certificates.

Those who want to be a part of Apple’s beta testing program can sign up to participate on the company’s beta testing website, which gives users access to both iOS and OS X betas.

The first developer beta of iOS 9.2.1 revealed no significant outward-facing changes, suggesting iOS 9.2.1 is a minor update that will focus on under-the-hood performance improvements and bug fixes to address issues discovered since the release of iOS 9.2.

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Apple Seeds First Beta of iOS 9.2.1 to Developers

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming iOS 9.2.1 update to developers for testing purposes, just over a week after the public release of iOS 9.2. iOS 9.2, the second major update to iOS 9, introduced a very long list of bug fixes, along with feature improvements to Apple Music, News, Mail, iBooks, and more.

The iOS 9.2.1 beta is available for download immediately from the Apple Developer Center, and a public beta will likely be available in the near future.

We don’t know what changes iOS 9.2.1 will bring to iOS 9, but as a minor .1 update, it’s likely to focus on performance improvements and fixes for bugs that have been discovered since the release of iOS 9.2. We will update this post with any changes that are discovered in the latest beta.

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iOS 9.2 Tidbits: Top Stories for News, AT&T NumberSync, Mail Drop, USB Camera Adapter Support, and More

The second major update to iOS 9, iOS 9.2, was released this morning, with a long list of bug fixes and improvements to features and apps like Apple Music, News, Mail, Podcasts, Safari, iBooks, and more. There are quite a few outward-facing changes tweaks and changes to the operating system, and we’ve gathered up a list of the major new features below.

News – Apple’s News app has been updated with features that are designed to make it more attractive to users and publishers. As outlined by Re/code, News will now include lists of top stories curated by Apple editors and published a “couple of times a day.” For publishers, Apple is also implementing integration with Comscore.

AT&T NumberSync – iOS 9.2 adds support for AT&T’s NumberSync service, which is an expansion of Wi-Fi calling. As outlined in Apple’s updated Wi-Fi calling support document, it is now possible for AT&T users to place Wi-Fi calls from their iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs (with OS X El Capitan) even when an iPhone is not nearby.

Continuity previously allowed a similar feature, but required an iPhone to be nearby as it used the phone’s cellular connection. Similar advanced Wi-Fi calling features are also available to T-Mobile and Sprint users.

Apple Music – There are a lot of small tweaks to Apple Music to remove various pain points. When adding a song to a playlist, for example, it’s now possible to create a new playlist instead of having to use an existing one, and playlists are ordered by most recent changes. There are also clearer indicators for which songs have been downloaded, and albums or playlists from iCloud Music Library can be downloaded by tapping the iCloud download button. The classical music catalog in Apple Music has been improved with works, composers, and performers.

Mail Drop – For the first time, Mail Drop can be used on iOS to send attachments up to 5GB in size. Mail Drop is a feature that was previously limited to the Mac version of the Mail app.

iBooks – iBooks includes support for 3D Touch, allowing users to peek and pop into pages from the table of contents, notes and bookmarks, or search results with force press gestures. iBooks also includes support for listening to an audiobook while browsing a library, reading other books, or viewing the iBooks Store.

USB Camera Adapter – With iOS 9.2, iPhones are now able to support Apple’s USB Camera Adapter and related accessories for importing pictures from a digital camera or DSLR. Previously, only iPads supported the USB Camera Adapter. The iPhone 5 and later appear to work with the USB Camera Adapter/iPad Camera Connection Kit. The iPhone 4s and the iPod touch do not support it.

Safari View Controller – The Safari View Controller, which is what allows a pop-up Safari window to be used within third-party apps, has been imrpoved. In iOS 9.2, the Safari View Controller supports third-party Action Extensions, letting apps like 1Password be accessed in the Safari view of other apps like Tweetbot. There’s also a new ability to long tap on the Reload button to load content without content blockers, support for the request desktop site function, and an edge swipe feature for dismissing the Safari window within apps.

In the Hipchat app for iOS, clicking a link brings up an in-app browser. In iOS 9.1, seen on the left, there’s no option for third-party extensions. In iOS 9.2, seen on the right, there’s support for third-party extensions like 1Password.​

We’ll be updating this tidbits post should any new features in iOS 9.2 be discovered. Our dedicated iOS 9 forum is also a great place to get more details on the new update, as users are discussing all of the changes that have been discovered in iOS 9.2.

The new update is currently available to all users with an iPhone 4s or later and can be downloaded over-the-air by going to Settings –> General –> Software Update.

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Apple Releases iOS 9.2 With Safari View Controller Improvements, AT&T NumberSync Support and Bug Fixes

Apple today released iOS 9.2 to the public, marking the second major update to the iOS 9 operating system since its September launch. Prior to being released, iOS 9.2 was in testing since late October after being seeded to developers and public beta testers one week after the launch of iOS 9.1.

Today’s iOS 9.2 release is available as an over-the-air update to all iOS 9 users. Though it is the second major update, iOS 9.2 is actually the fourth update to iOS 9 in total, following the launches of iOS 9.0.1, iOS 9.0.2, and iOS 9.1. Xcode 7.2 is also available today.

iOS 9.2 includes a huge list of bug fixes, which we’ve outlined below.

This update contains improvements and bug fixes including:

– Apple Music improvements

–You can now create a new playlist when adding a song to a playlist

–Your most recently changed playlist is now listed at the top when adding songs to playlists

–Download albums or playlists from your iCloud Music Library by tapping the iCloud download button

–See which songs have been downloaded with the new download indicator next to each song in My Music and Playlists

–See works, composers, and performers while browsing Classical music in the Apple Music catalog

– A new Top Stories section in News so you can stay up to date with the most important news of the day (available in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia)

– Mail Drop in Mail for sending large attachments

– iBooks now supports 3D Touch to peek and pop pages from the table of contents, your notes and bookmarks, or from search results inside a book

– iBooks now supports listening to an audiobook while you browse your library, read other books, or explore the iBooks Store

– iPhone support for the USB Camera Adapter to import photos and videos

– Improved stability of Safari

– Improved stability of Podcasts

– Fixing an issue that caused mail attachments to be inaccessible for some users with POP email accounts

– Resolving an issue for some users that caused attachments to overlap text in mail

– Fixing an issue where Live Photos could have turned off after restoring from a previous iCloud backup

– Addressing an issue that could cause search in Contacts to display no results

– Resolving an issue that could have prevented Calendar from displaying all seven days in week view

– Fixing an issue where Camera screen on iPad could be black when attempting to capture video

– Addressing an issue that could cause instability in the Activity app when viewing the day of Daylight Savings Time transition

– Fixing an issue that could prevent data from appearing in Health

– Fixing an issue that could prevent Wallet updates and Lock screen alerts from displaying

– Addressing an issue where updating iOS could prevent an alarm from going off

– Fixing an issue where some users were unable to login to Find my iPhone

– Fixing an issue that prevented some manual iCloud Backups from completing

– Addressing an issue where using the iPad keyboard could unintentionally trigger text selection mode

– Improved keyboard responsiveness when using Quick Reply

– Improved punctuation input on the 10-key Chinese (Pinyin & Stroke) keyboards with new expanded view of punctuation symbols and better predictions

– Fixing an issue on Cyrillic keyboards where caps lock would be enabled when typing in URL or email fields

– Siri support for Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates)

– Accessibility improvements

–Fixing issues with VoiceOver when using Camera face detection

–Adding support for VoiceOver to wake up the screen

–Adding support for VoiceOver to invoke app switcher with 3D Touch gesture

–Fixing an issue with Guided Access when trying to end phone calls

–Improved functionality for Switch Control users when using 3D Touch

–Fixing an issue with speech rate of Speak Screen

Beyond bug fixes, iOS 9.2’s biggest change is a tweak to the way the Safari View Controller works within third-party apps. The Safari View controller is what allows a pop-up Safari window to be used within third-party apps, and with iOS 9.2, the Safari View Controller supports third-party Action Extensions, letting apps like 1Password to be accessed in the Safari view of other apps like Tweetbot.

In the Hipchat app for iOS, clicking a link brings up an in-app browser. In iOS 9.1, seen on the left, there’s no option for third-party extensions. In iOS 9.2, seen on the right, there’s support for third-party extensions like 1Password.

The Safari View Controller has also been updated with the ability to long tap on the Reload button to reload content without content blockers and it now supports the request desktop site function and an edge swipe to dismiss the Safari window.

iOS 9.2 also includes support for AT&T’s NumberSync Wi-Fi calling feature, allowing AT&T users to accept calls on any device even when their phone is not nearby.

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Apple Seeds Fourth iOS 9.2 Beta to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of iOS 9.2 to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, just over one week after seeding the third iOS 9.2 beta and a full month after releasing iOS 9.1 to the public. As a .1 upgrade, iOS 9.2 will mark the second major update to iOS 9.

The fourth beta of iOS 9.2, build 13C5075, is available as an over-the-air update and through the Apple Developer Center. Public beta testers can download the update over the air. Apple has also released Xcode 7.2 beta 4.

Earlier betas of iOS 9.2 included changes to the Safari View Controller, which is what allows a pop-up Safari window to be used in third-party apps. In iOS 9.2, Safari View Controller supports third-party Action Extensions, letting apps like 1Password to be accessed in the Safari view of other apps like Tweetbot.

Safari View Controller has also been updated with the ability to long tap on the Reload button to reload content without content blockers and it now supports the request desktop site function. The second iOS 9.2 improved Safari View Controller further, introducing support for dismissing it with an edge swipe.

Along with improvements to Safari View Controller, iOS 9.2 also introduces Arabic support for Siri, support for AT&T’s NumberSync Wi-Fi Calling feature and it includes bug fixes for iCloud Keychain, Apple Watch syncing and pairing, audio quality when streaming to stereo systems, and more.

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Apple Seeds Fourth iOS 9.2 Beta to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of iOS 9.2 to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, just over one week after seeding the third iOS 9.2 beta and a full month after releasing iOS 9.1 to the public. As a .1 upgrade, iOS 9.2 will mark the second major update to iOS 9.

The fourth beta of iOS 9.2, build 13C5075, is available as an over-the-air update and through the Apple Developer Center. Public beta testers can download the update over the air. Apple has also released Xcode 7.2 beta 4.

Earlier betas of iOS 9.2 included changes to the Safari View Controller, which is what allows a pop-up Safari window to be used in third-party apps. In iOS 9.2, Safari View Controller supports third-party Action Extensions, letting apps like 1Password to be accessed in the Safari view of other apps like Tweetbot.

Safari View Controller has also been updated with the ability to long tap on the Reload button to reload content without content blockers and it now supports the request desktop site function. The second iOS 9.2 improved Safari View Controller further, introducing support for dismissing it with an edge swipe.

Along with improvements to Safari View Controller, iOS 9.2 also introduces Arabic support for Siri, support for AT&T’s NumberSync Wi-Fi Calling feature and it includes bug fixes for iCloud Keychain, Apple Watch syncing and pairing, audio quality when streaming to stereo systems, and more.

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Apple Seeds Third iOS 9.2 Beta to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Apple today seeded the third beta of iOS 9.2 to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the second iOS 9.2 beta and three weeks after releasing iOS 9.1 to the public. As a .1 upgrade, iOS 9.2 will mark the second major update to iOS 9.

The new iOS 9.2 beta is available as an over-the-air update and through the Apple Developer Center. Today’s beta is also available to public beta testers, and there’s also a new version of the Xcode 7.2 beta available.

Earlier betas of iOS 9.2 introduced changes for the Safari View Controller, which is what allows a pop-up Safari window to be used in third-party apps. Safari View Controller now supports third-party Action Extensions, allowing apps like 1Password to be accessed in the Safari view of other apps like Tweetbot.

Safari View Controller has also been updated with the ability to long tap on the Reload button to reload content without content blockers and it now supports the request desktop site function. iOS 9.2 beta 2 improved Safari View Controller further, introducing support for dismissing it with an edge swipe.

Along with improvements to Safari View Controller, iOS 9.2 also introduces support for AT&T’s NumberSync Wi-Fi Calling feature and includes bug fixes for iCloud Keychain, Apple Watch syncing and pairing, audio quality when streaming to stereo systems, and more.

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Apple Releases Second iOS 9.2 Beta for Public Beta Testers

Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 9.2 to public beta testers, one day after seeding the second beta to developers and a week after releasing the first iOS 9.2 public beta. iOS 9.2 follows iOS 9.1, which launched on October 21.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple’s beta testing program and have will receive the second iOS 9.2 beta as an over-the-air update.

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 OS X betas. As iOS 9.1 was recently released, it will likely be several weeks before we see the public release of iOS 9.2.

According to the release notes for the first iOS 9.2 beta, the Safari View Controller (the view of Safari you see within apps) is being updated with support for third-party Action Extensions that will let it more closely mirror the Safari app. It also includes options to reload content and request a desktop site, as in Safari, and iOS 9.2 beta 2 improves Safari View Controller further, introducing support for dismissing it with an edge swipe.

Along with improvements to Safari View Controller, iOS 9.2 also introduces support for AT&T’s NumberSync Wi-Fi Calling feature and includes bug fixes for iCloud Keychain, Apple Watch syncing and pairing, audio quality when streaming to stereo systems, and more.

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iOS 9 Adoption Jumps to 66 Percent After iOS 9.1 Emoji Update

Since launching in September alongside the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, iOS 9 has seen its adoption rate grow to 66 percent of active iOS devices, according to numbers on the Apple Developer Support page. Two weeks ago, iOS 9 adoption sat at 61 percent.

After 24 hours, iOS 9 adoption was in line with the adoption rate of iOS 8. However, in late September Apple announced that the newest version of iOS had the fastest adoption ever and was on pace to be downloaded by more users than any other version of the mobile operating system. iOS 8 only achieved a 64 percent adoption rate by December 23 and a 68 percent adoption rate by January 7, ending up with a high of 87 percent on the eve of iOS 9’s launch.

Apple released the first major update to iOS 9 two weeks ago with iOS 9.1, which featured a slew of brand-new emojis. Since that update, iOS 9 adoption has grown by 5 percent. Earlier today Apple seeded the second beta for iOS 9.2, the second major update to its newest mobile operating system.

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