Smiley faces are helping Apple push its latest iOS 9 software out to more iPhone and iPad owners. The adoption rate for iOS 9 stands at 66%, meaning Apple's latest mobile operating system is now found on nearly two out of every three compatible devices.

This is a jump from a 61% adoption rate two weeks ago, and the jump could be partially attributed to Apple's launch of the iOS 9.1 software update, which brought more emoji to the keyboard, a feature that could entice a younger audience to update their devices.

The fastest iOS adoption rate

Apple announced in September that iOS 9 had the fastest adoption rate of any iOS release. Unlike Android, Apple controls when OS updates are pushed out to users without having to go through the carriers, resulting in more timely updates.

For users, this means that bugs are fixed more quickly and security glitches get patched before they become larger threats. The strategy will also be adopted by Microsoft, which will also push out updates to Windows 10 Mobile directly to consumers without having to go through the carriers.

Apple is working on iOS 9.2. It has already begun seeding the second beta of iOS 9.2 to developers.

Versions by the numbers

The second most used version of iOS is iOS 8, with Apple reporting adoption at 25%. All iOS versions older than iOS 8 are used on 9% of devices.

The benefit to developers for rapid, wide-scale consumer adoption is that third-party apps may only need to be updated to support the most recent major releases of iOS, rather than multiple editions scaling back several years.

iOS 9 debuted on the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. Additionally, it will also debut on the iPad Pro when that devices becomes available this month.

• Read our iOS 9 review

Apple's latest iOS update arrives today for all users, bringing with it a greater diversity of emoji and other improvements.

The update, which brings the system up to version 8.3, adds more than 300 new emoji - including the universal gesture, the thumbs up - with a wider range of skin colors than before.

More countries' flags are also represented, and naturally there's a new Apple Watch emoji too.

This update also tweaks the iPhone's keyboard, expanding the space bar at the expense of some of the "." button's real estate.

CarPlay and more

The other major change is the addition of Apple CarPlay support, which lets users connect their iPhones to their cars' dashboard displays.

And the update includes additional languages for Siri and dictation, plus improvements to orientation/rotation, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. iOS 8.3 rolls out over the air to all users beginning today.

• iPhone 6: bigger, better, sleeker and faster

Update 2/25: AT&T's version of the second-gen Moto X has now received its Android 5.0 Lollipop as well.

The news comes via a tip to Phone Arena, followed by reader reports of the update arriving.

Android Lollipop should roll out gradually to AT&T's 2014 Moto X via a big 650MB update, so watch out for it over the next couple of days if you've been waiting all this time.

Original story follows…

The 2014 Moto X's Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade has arrived for Verizon subscribers.

The update is rolling out to Verizon Moto X users over the air even now, 9to5Google reports.

Details on Lollipop for the Moto X 2014 leaked in early November, so it was only a matter of time before the update arrived.

With it comes UI and aesthetic improvements for Motorola's current flagship, plus performance improvements, a new notifications system, a smart lock feature for users with a smartwatch, and more.

• TechRadar has all the best Black Friday deals right here

We're still waiting to get a first-hand look at Windows 10, but in the meantime a few screenshots, purportedly from the technical preview, have been leaked.

While they show an interface that looks somewhat similar to Windows Phone 8.1 there are a number of differences too.

The images, which were shared with NokiaPowerUser by Kiran Kanade, show a tiled interface with a new notifications system which in this shot looks similar to the existing one, but which according to Microsoft will allow for synced notifications across different devices, so if you clear one on your phone it will also clear it on your desktop.

Above that you can see new quick settings toggles, with far more options than are found in Action Centre on Windows Phone 8.1, including the likes of VPN and quiet hours. There's also a link to the main settings screen for anything not covered there.

Similar settings

Speaking of the settings screen, an image of that has emerged too, showing a slightly new look with blue icons, but all the options you'd expect, including system and personalisation settings.

The final screen simply aims to confirm that we are indeed looking at the Windows 10 Technical Preview for Phones, with the apparent build number of 8.15.12493.42.

Of course it's not hard to doctor an image, so we can't say with any certainty that these are the real deal and even if they are this will be an unfinished version of the software. But they seem convincing, with a similar look to Windows Phone 8.1 but different enough that it could conceivably be a whole new version.

• We already know a whole lot about Windows 10 for desktops.