Apple iOS 10.2 specs, new features, news & update: Public beta includes single sign-on, preserve cam, new emojis

Apple has made the beta version of iOS 10.2 available to the public and it includes several exciting new features.

The beta version of iOS 10.2 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch was previously only made available for testing by registered developers. Unlike its paid developer program, Apple's public beta program is free to participate in. Now that it is in public beta, more users get to test the pre-release version of the software update before it is finalized and officially rolled out.

According to 9to5 Mac, the iOS 10.2 public beta reveals some interesting additions, including the new Preserve Camera setting, a new widget for the Videos app, more emojis, three new wallpapers for the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, a "Celebration" screen effect for Messages, a "Press and Hold to Speak" menu in the Home Button Accessibility settings, a "Show Star Ratings" option in the Music settings, and a headphone icon in the status bar for Bluetooth audio devices.

MacRumors adds that earlier this week, Apple appears to have activated the long-hyped Single Sign-On feature for iOS devices and the Apple TV. Single Sign-On, which seems to support few cable services as of now, has been quietly made available for iOS 10.2 betas and for the tvOS 10.1. The feature is said to currently support Sling TV, Dish, Hotwire and GVTC Communications.

Single Sign-On allows users to access all live cable content across multiple apps by signing in just once with their cable credentials. The new feature is intended to make TV-watching much easier and simpler with the Apple TV.

But the most interesting part of the iOS 10.2 beta is undoubtedly the new emojis. The update offers more than 70 new emojis from the Unicode 9.0 standard, which gives the emojis a more realistic look with more gloss and more shadowing. Among the new emojis are a creepy clown, a selfie arm, a smiley with a cowboy hat, a hang-10 hand sign, a fist bump and multiple variations of a David Bowie-esque rocker. There are also new profession emojis, including astronaut, welder, chemist, pilot, artist and chef; as well as emojis for face palm and shrug.