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Latest iOS 9 beta includes separate Photos folders for selfies, screenshots

With its latest iOS 9 beta, Apple introduced separate Photos folders for selfies and screenshots, a small but useful addition that could go a long way in cleaning up users' libraries.

As seen above, Photos in iOS 9 parses out pictures taken with an iPhone's front-facing camera into a folder called "Selfies," while placing screenshots in another self-named folder. It is not yet clear if the feature will make it into the shipping product set to launch this fall, but the auto-collation feature is a blessing for many.

The "Selfie" folder acts much like a Smart Folder on Mac by collecting all snaps taken with an iOS device's front-facing shooter. A quick test shows iOS is not using computer vision algorithms to detect faces — specifically the face of an iPhone's user — for the feature, suggesting the folder's trigger is hardware-based.

As for the

screenshot gallery, iOS 9 beta simply compiles onscreen images captured by simultaneously depressing a device's power and home buttons. The screenshot mechanism has been around since the dawn of iOS, but was initially used for diagnostics and not touted as a user-facing feature. With the rise of fast, reliable mobile Internet services, screenshot sharing has for many become a quick and easy alternative to copying and pasting rich content.

Alongside new folders in Photos, today's iOS 9 beta marked the introduction of Apple's News app, a cloud-based content aggregator designed for on-the-go access to popular Internet articles, custom feeds and more. In addition, home screen folders feature a four-by-four design, allowing users to hold up to 16 apps per page.

Developers can access iOS 9 beta 3 as an over-the-air update or through Apple's Developer Portal.