Apple launches first public beta of iOS 9.2

iOS 9.2 public beta 1 arrives two days after developers were provided with their first build of iOS 9.2. Users who install iOS 9.2 cannot restore their iPhone or iPad to earlier versions of iOS.

iOS 9.2 beta 1 is available as an over-the-air update for eligible users, who can opt in to the public beta program through Apple's site. The first developer build of iOS 9.2 is identified as build 13C5055d.

The most notable change in iOS 9.2 revealed by Apple is a change to how the Safari Web browser works in third-party apps, enabling user-installed extensions to operate in those conditions.

Beyond that, major changes in iOS 9.2 remain unknown, but its point-one version increase suggests that it will be more than just behind-the-scenes bug fixes. It's also possible that iOS 9.2 could introduce new features, like support for the Apple Pencil, that will be required for the forthcoming iPad Pro, set to launch in November.

The first betas of iOS 9.2 arrived a week after Apple supplied the final public release of iOS 9.1. The defining feature of that update was more than 150 new emoji characters, as well as improvements to Live Photos on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.