Top 5 Best New iPhone Features in iOS 10.2

After an oddly long beta period that saw Apple release something like 427 different versions of its pre-release mobile software, the company on Monday finally pushed iOS 10.2 out to an eager public. Why was the public so eager? Was it because iOS 10.2 fixes some crazy security holes or adds a few groundbreaking new features? No, the public was anxiously await new emoji. Lots and lots of new emoji.

Of course, there’s plenty more to iOS 10.2 than just new emoji, and in this post we’ll cover all of the best new features that just arrived on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch courtesy of iOS 10.2.

New emoji

Okay, so clearly we have to start with all of iOS 10.2’s new emoji, since this is the feature iPhone users have been awaiting most eagerly. The addition of Unicode 9.0 support means that a flood of new emoji are washing over iPhone and iPad keyboards worldwide. In total, more than 100 new emoji have been added, and that doesn’t even include all of the older emoji that were updated in this new release.

Here are some of the hottest new emoji that Apple added in iOS 10.2:

• 🤣 Rolling On The Floor Laughing
• 🤠 Face With Cowboy Hat
• 🤡 Clown Face
• 🤥 Lying Face
• 🤤 Drooling Face
• 🤢 Nauseated Face
• 🤧 Sneezing Face
• 🤴 Prince
• 🤶 Mother Christmas
• 🤵 Man In Tuxedo
• 🤷 Shrug
• 🤦 Face Palm
• 🤰 Pregnant Woman
• 🕺 Man Dancing
• 🤳 Selfie
• 🤞 Hand With Index And Middle Fingers Crossed
• 🤙 Call Me Hand
• 🤛 Left-Facing Fist
• 🤜 Right-Facing Fist
• 🤚 Raised Back Of Hand
• 🤝 Handshake
• 🖤 Black Heart
• 🦍 Gorilla
• 🦊 Fox Face
• 🦌 Deer
• 🦏 Rhinoceros
• 🦇 Bat
• 🦅 Eagle
• 🦆 Duck
• 🦉 Owl
• 🦎 Lizard
• 🦈 Shark
• 🦐 Shrimp
• 🦑 Squid
• 🦋 Butterfly
• 🥀 Wilted Flower
• 🥝 Kiwifruit
• 🥑 Avocado
• 🥔 Potato
• 🥕 Carrot
• 🥒 Cucumber
• 🥜 Peanuts
• 🥐 Croissant
• 🥖 Baguette Bread
• 🥞 Pancakes
• 🥓 Bacon
• 🥙 Stuffed Flatbread
• 🥚 Egg
• 🥘 Shallow Pan Of Food
• 🥗 Green Salad
• 🥛 Glass of Milk
• 🥂 Clinking Glasses
• 🥃 Tumbler Glass
• 🥄 Spoon
• 🛑 Octagonal Sign
• 🛴 Scooter
• 🛵 Motor Scooter
• 🛶 Canoe
• 🥇 First Place Medal
• 🥈 Second Place Medal
• 🥉 Third Place Medal
• 🥊 Boxing Glove
• 🥋 Martial Arts Uniform
• 🤸 Person Doing Cartwheel
• 🤼 Wrestlers
• 🤽 Water Polo
• 🤾 Handball
• 🤺 Fencer
• 🥅 Goal Net
• 🤹 Juggling
• 🥁 Drum With Drumsticks
• 🛒 Shopping Trolley

Click any of the links above to get more details on each emoji courtesy of Emojipedia, or check out this post to see a rundown of every single new emoji in iOS 10.2.

TV app

Behind the new emoji, Apple’s fresh new TV app is probably the most talked-about addition in iOS 10.2, though user response during the beta period was definitely mixed. Apple’s new app is basically a next-generation TV guide for the streaming generation. It pulls in listings from all your favorite movie and TV show streaming services (aside from Netflix, and we explained why back in October) and recommends content to watch based on popularity and viewing history. Once you select a movie or TV show, the app will automatically open the appropriate app so you can start streaming on demand.

It’s a nifty idea, but it’s been done before… and it doesn’t include Netflix content, which is a deal-breaker for many users.

New screen effects in Messages

Third-party stickers in Apple’s Messages app are old news — but screen effects are still cool. Perhaps it’s because screen effects are hidden and people often forget they’re even there until you send one. Well, it’s time to revive them because Apple just added two new ones in iOS 10.2. On it called “love,” and it inflates a big heart that’s attached to the message you send. The other is called “celebration,” and it fills the entire screen with sparklers joined by haptic vibrations.