Apple is expected to release iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 next week with several new features and changes. With the Release Candidate versions being rolled out today to developers, Apple has also revealed the release notes for these versions. According to Apple, iOS 26.4 features the following changes:
“Apple Music:
- Playlist Playground (beta) generates a playlist from your description, complete with a title, description, and tracklist
- Concerts helps you discover nearby shows from artists in your library and recommends new artists based on what you listen to
- Offline Music Recognition in Control Center identifies songs without an internet connection and delivers results automatically when you’re back online
- Ambient Music widget for Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing brings curated playlists to the Home Screen
- Full screen backgrounds give album and playlist pages a more immersive look
Accessibility:
- Reduce bright effects setting minimizes bright flashes when tapping on elements like buttons
- Subtitle and caption settings are available from the captions icon while viewing media, making them easier to find, customize, and preview
- Reduce Motion setting more reliably reduces the animations of Liquid Glass for users sensitive to on screen motion
This update also includes the following enhancements:
- 8 new emoji including an orca, trombone, landslide, ballet dancer, and distorted face are available in the emoji keyboard
- Freeform gains advanced image creation and editing tools, and a premium content library, joining Apple Creator Studio
- Mark reminders as urgent from the Quick Toolbar or by touching and holding, and filter for urgent reminders in your Smart Lists
- Purchase Sharing lets adult members in Family Sharing groups use their own payment method when making purchases, without relying on the family organizer
- Improved keyboard accuracy when typing quickly
For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit: https://support.apple.com/100100
Some features may not be available in all regions or on all iPhone models. To learn more, please visit: https://www.apple.com/ios/feature-availability.
Software updates, like this one, add new features and improvements that may affect performance and/or battery life. To learn more, please visit: https://support.apple.com/125039.”
Initially, iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 were expected to launch with the new revamped Siri with deeper app controls, and more. However, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported earlier that the revamp is facing delays again after internal testing, with key features now expected to slip to iOS 26.5 or even iOS 27. Since we are approaching the final release of 26.4, we can expect the first betas of the 26.5 versions to arrive after two weeks or even earlier.
That said, iOS and iPadOS 26.4 will ship with a new Intelligence feature as mentioned above, which is Playlist Playground on Apple Music.
It is highly recommended to update your iPhone and iPad to the latest software once they are released for the best experience. Let us know down in the comments or tweet to us on @appleosophy! Be sure to download the Appleosophy App from the App Store or visit our website to stay updated with the latest Apple news!
