iOS 10.2 includes new emoji, the TV app, and a big pile of other tweaks

After seven betas and a couple of months of testing, Apple has released the final version of iOS 10.2 to all devices that run iOS 10. This is the second major update released for iOS 10 since it came out in September and, like iOS 10.1 before it, this release adds a couple of new features and provides an extensive list of fixes for existing ones. (You can find the full release notes at the bottom of this post.)

The most noticeable change for many users will be the revamped emoji support, which includes both new characters introduced in version 9.0 of the Unicode spec as well as support for new professions and revamped Retina-friendly designs for many existing emoji. As usual, Emojipedia’s coverage is fairly comprehensive.

The biggest new feature is probably the TV app, which Apple announced during its last product event in October. This new app completely replaces the existing “Videos” app on iDevices—it now handles all playback of movies and TV shows purchased through the iTunes store as well as streaming content aggregated from compatible third-party apps.

In theory, the app can just show you all kinds of TV from all sources without making you dive into individual silos of content via apps, but in practice it’s still going to be limited depending on the particular apps you use. Netflix isn’t compatible with the TV app, which significantly hurts it right out of the gate.

Other apps have merely been tweaked. Apple has improved the stabilization and increased the frame rate for Live Photos, added “love” and “celebration” full-screen effects to Messages, added a section for saved stories in the News app, and tweaked sorting and navigation options in the Music app. Additionally, HomeKit accessories are now able to send notifications when they need your attention or when a software update is available, further reducing the need for dedicated apps for your individual HomeKit devices.

As for minor under-the-hood changes, Apple has improved “performance and connectivity” with third-party Bluetooth accessories, provided fixes for bugs in FaceTime and Mail, and improved RAW support in the Photos app for photos taken with dedicated cameras (this is separate from iOS 10’s native RAW support for newer iPhone and iPad cameras).

iOS 10.2 runs on the iPhone 5 and newer devices, the fourth-generation iPad and newer devices, the iPad Mini 2 and newer devices, both iPad Pros, and the sixth-generation iPod Touch. Apple has also released a pair of corresponding updates for the Apple Watch and fourth-generation Apple TV. The tvOS 10.1 update includes the Apple TV version of the TV app, while watchOS 3.1.1 adds support for the new emoji and fixes a handful of other bugs for first-generation and Series 1 and Series 2 Apple Watches.

Here are the full release notes for those interested:

TV

• Use Up Next to see the movies and shows you’re currently watching and pick up where you left off
• Get recommendations for new movies and TV shows in Watch Now
• Discover new apps and the latest iTunes releases in the Store
• Access the Library for your iTunes purchases and rentals

Emoji

• Beautifully redesigned emoji that reveal even more detail
• Over 100 new emoji including new faces, food, animals, sports, and professions

Photos

• Improves stabilization and delivers faster frame rate for Live Photos
• Improves accuracy of groupings of similar photos of the same person in the People album
• Fixes an issue where Memories might generate a memory from photos of screenshots, whiteboards or receipts
• Fixes an issue where the camera would stay zoomed in after switching back from the Camera Roll on iPhone 7 Plus
• Additional support for RAW digital cameras

Messages

• Adds new love and celebration full screen effects in Messages
• Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented the keyboard from displaying in Messages

Music

• Swipe up the Now Playing screen to more easily access Shuffle, Repeat, and Up Next
• Choose how to sort Playlists, Albums, and Songs in Library

News

• Stories you’ve saved for later now appear in the new Saved section
• The best paid stories from channels you subscribe to will now appear in a dedicated section in For You
• It’s now easier than ever to get to the next story, just swipe left or tap Next Story while reading

Mail

• Fixes an issue that caused the Move sheet to persist after filing a Mail message
• Addresses an issue with long press activating copy and paste in Mail
• Fixes an issue in which the wrong message would be selected after deleting a Mail conversation

Accessibility

• Adds BraillePen14 support to VoiceOver
• Fixes an issue where the braille table could switch unexpectedly with VoiceOver
• Fixes an issue where sometimes Siri-enhanced voices were unavailable to VoiceOver
• Fixes an issue where VoiceOver users could not re-order items in lists
• Fixes an issue where Switch Control was sometimes unable to delete Voicemails

Other improvements and fixes

• Adds notification support for HomeKit accessories, including window coverings, occupancy, motion, door/window, smoke, carbon monoxide, and water leak sensors
• Adds notification support for HomeKit accessories when software updates are available to HomeKit accessories
• Improves Bluetooth performance and connectivity with 3rd-party accessories
• Fixes an issue that could cause FaceTime participants to appear out of focus
• Fixes an issue that could cause FaceTime calls to appear with incorrect aspect ratio and orientation
• Fixes an issue that prevented some Visual Voicemail from completing playback
• Fixes a Safari Reader issue that could cause articles to open as empty pages
• Fixes an issue that could cause Safari to quit unexpectedly after marking an item as read in Reading List