Apple today shipped iOS 10.1, a minor update to its flagship mobile OS. Key among the new features is Portrait mode for the Camera app on iPhone 7 Plus.
And on that note, if you were holding out for Portrait mode, you’re going to be disappointed. The feature hasn’t improved in any meaningful way since I first wrote about it a month ago, and because it uses software tricks and relies on only one of the iPhone 7 Plus’s two cameras, meaning it can only be used in certain situations.
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I’m not the only one who has pointed out this issue. In his overview of iOS 10.1 today, the Wall Street Journal’s Geoffrey Fowler experienced similar problems. He noted that its fake bokeh effects “often failed, sometimes in hilarious ways.”
But others seems satisfied with it—9to5Mac calls it “impressive” and Techcrunch reminds us that Portrait mode is still in beta: “It’s going to get better over the coming months,” they claim. Point being, your mileage will vary.
Of course, iOS 10.1 isn’t just about Portrait mode. It also adds the following new features:
Camera and photos.
Maps
Messages
Apple Watch
Other improvements and fixes
And iOS 10.1 certainly isn’t only for the iPhone 7 Plus. It will also install on the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, and iPhone 7; the iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 4, iPad 4th generation, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad Pro 9.7 inch and iPad Pro 12.9 inch; and the 6th generation iPod touch. You can download it now for free from Settings, General, Software Update on your i-device.
Finally, Apple has also updated watchOS to version 3.1 and macOS to version 10.12.1. If you’re into those kinds of things.
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Premium Member<p>And 10.1 installs on EVERY single iPhone model of the past 4 years! Take that Android, LOL. There are some really interesting and exciting Android phones out there, but the Android OS update situation keeps me from ever considering any of them. I like Apple’s focus on customer privacy, and accept the fact that this limits some of the functions of things like Siri, rather than the new Google Assistant which works well because being in the Google universe means that you have to not care about privacy at all and they know EVERYTHING about you. I am finding that my new iPhone 7 has very excellent battery life compared to my old 6, Apple has made great strides in that department with their new chips and software combo. I never seem to worry about having battery at the end of the day at all any more, which is a great relief. </p>