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Apple issues third developer beta of iOS 10.1 with Portrait photos for iPhone 7 Plus

Apple on Monday supplied a third pre-release beta of iOS 10.1 to developers, less than a week after the second beta was released. The forthcoming update includes the new bokeh Portrait photo mode exclusive to the iPhone 7 Plus.

Developers can access the latest beta build of iOS 10.1 via Software Update on a registered device, or through iTunes on a Mac or PC. The upcoming update also adds an accessibility setting to turn off message effects.

iOS 10.1 beta 3 arrives six days after developers were supplied beta 2. A public release of iOS 10.1 beta 2 arrived a day later, last Wednesday, suggesting that the public build of iOS 10.1 beta 3 could be issued on Tuesday of this week.

While the finished 10.1 update will likely deal mostly with interface tweaks and maintenance issues, its signature feature is a promised "Portrait" mode for the iPhone 7 Plus, simulating bokeh effects to blur out backgrounds.

The feature is restricted to the Plus because it requires the phone's dual-lens camera, which allows iOS to gauge the depth of a scene and separate the subject.

The frequency of iOS 10.1 releases could suggest that a final public launch of the update will arrive soon.

Finally, Apple also issued a third developer beta for tvOS 10.0.1 on Monday. Unlike with iOS, there is no public beta program for the fourth-generation Apple TV.