Everything that’s new in iOS 9 beta 2

Apple seeded iOS 9 beta 2 to developers today and while there aren’t any groundbreaking new features or drastic improvements, the company did manage to add a bunch of little changes and tweaks across the OS.

Most of the improvements are small design changes, but there are a couple really useful additions too, like adding Handoff to the app switcher, search improvements are more.

Take a look at everything that’s new in iOS 9 beta 2:

New Podcasts Icon

The Podcasts icon takes on a fresh new look. It’s the same color scheme but now sticks out a tad more among other apps on the home screen.

‘Apple Watch’ companion app changes to…

The Apple Watch icon remains the same, but the name for the app underneath has changed from “Apple Watch” to simply “Watch.” The new wording is a bit more consistent with Apple’s references elsewhere like on Apple’s website. Plus, it also blends in nicer with Apple’s other apps, most of which are just one word in length.

Search is better

Search is generally improved in iOS 9 beta 2. It feels a bit faster and brings up more results from a larger array of apps. In Settings, third-party apps now have their own on/off toggles for search as well. Searching through third-party apps is coming soon once apps start implementing the API. As you can see, Apple still has a few kinks to work out though.

Low Power Mode description updated

This might be the most exciting new change on this list so brace yourself: iOS 9 beta 2 updates the description for Low Power Mode in Settings. Nothing about how it functions has changed, it seems Apple just wasn’t content with the wording in beta 1.

News App added to iCloud

In iCloud Settings, News app now has its own toggle to sync across multiple devices. Turning it on or off doesn’t do anything as the News app hasn’t debuted yet, but it will come into play this fall.

Safari settings

The settings for Safari add two new options while removing another. You can opt to show or hide the favorites bar or the tab bar now within the Settings, but the Content Blockers option that appeared in beta 1 is gone.

iPad Keyboard Tweaks

iOS 9 beta 1 brought a few handy actions to the iPad’s keyboard, mainly dedicated buttons for cut, copy and paste. The former two are replaced by Undo and Redo buttons in beta 2. Paste is still visible by default. If you select text, the cut and copy buttons return to where they used to be so they’re visible when you need them and out of sight when you don’t.

Handoff emerges in app switcher

Handoff, one of Apple’s Continuity features, has emerged in multitasking view. If you’re in an app on another iOS or OS X device and quickly want to pick up where you left off on another, double-tapping the Home button now displays Handoff as the first multitasking option.

George Tinari

George Tinari has covered Apple and technology for over six years. On the rare occasion that he’s not sitting in front of his laptop, you can find him eating, awkwardly socializing, listening to music or singing along loudly to said music. You can also follow George on Twitter if you need more complaints and sarcasm in your timeline.