A few days back, Apple released iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3 and macOS Tahoe 26.3 updates with some new changes and a lot of bug fixes. And yesterday, the company also released the first beta updates of iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4 and macOS Tahoe 26.4.
The new beta updates are available for registered developers and will soon be made available for public beta testers.
iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4 & macOS Tahoe 26.4: First Beta updates released
The iOS 26.4 & iPadOS 26.4 updates introduce end-to-end encryption for RCS messages, a security feature that is not currently available for cross-platform messaging. Conversations labelled as encrypted are encrypted end-to-end, so messages can’t be read while they’re sent between devices. In this beta, RCS encryption is available for testing between Apple devices and is not yet testable with other platforms.
In macOS Tahoe 26.4, users will be notified when they launch apps that use Rosetta of the upcoming incompatibility. macOS Tahoe 26 is the last release to support Intel-based Macs. Additionally, Rosetta support for apps will end after macOS 27.
The first iOS 26.4 beta includes a number of new references to CarPlay video playback, including features like onboarding flows, notifications and more. It suggests that Apple will soon allow CarPlay users to watch video via AirPlay in their vehicles. It also appears that Apple TV will likely support the CarPlay video feature when it launches, as there are additional references to interacting with the TV app while using CarPlay.
Other new features in iOS 26.4 beta 1 update:
- Apple Podcasts app is upgraded with new “advanced video podcast capabilities.” This will make it easier to switch between viewing a video podcast and listening to the audio podcast. Apple is also adding support for dynamic video ads in Apple Podcasts with iOS 26.4.
- Several upgrades for Apple Music app: selected albums and playlists now show new full-screen artwork, support for finding concerts nearby and tour dates for artists in Apple Music library and redesigned Profile interface. Users can now also create AI-generated playlists in Apple Music.
- Playlist Playground feature added to Music app that lets you create playlists based on text descriptions or preselected prompts.
- A redesigned Wallpaper Gallery that further separates the different categories of available options.
- New Smart List in Reminders for the tasks marked as urgent.
- A new Home Screen widget that gives quick access to your ambient music playlists in Apple Music.
- Stolen Device Protection is now enabled by default
- In the App Store, the Search bar has been moved back to the top of the search tab. The search tab is also now integrated into the navigation bar at the bottom.
- iOS 26.4 adds a lot of en_IN (English-India) localisations, including Apple Pay. This suggests that Apple Pay is coming soon to India.
- Camera gets a new Audio Zoom feature in which the recorded audio is focused on the subject when the camera is zoomed.
