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quick summary
The official release notes for iOS 26.4 have been released, detailing the new features coming with the next software update.
A date for the final release of the software has not yet been set, but it shouldn’t be too long.
Many are eagerly awaiting the next iOS update as it was initially expected to bring the much-anticipated, smarter Siri that Apple teased at WWDC 2024. Excitement for iOS 26.4 was tempered a bit later by reports that Siri would be delayed again, but there’s still a lot to be excited about despite Siri not being on the list.
According to 9to5Mac, the RC version of the software was recently released to beta users, and the final version is expected to be released to the public in the next few days.
As detailed in Apple’s official release notes, it will bring 13 enhancements to compatible iPhones.
What changes does iOS 26.4 bring?
We mentioned a few of them last week when we highlighted that iOS 26.4 could arrive as early as today — even though it hasn’t landed yet.
These features include updates to Apple Music, including a Playlist Playground that generates playlists based on your descriptions.
Album and playlist pages will also become more immersive with full-screen backgrounds, while the concerts feature will help you find nearby shows by artists in your library and recommend new artists based on your preferences.
Control Center will also offer offline music recognition, allowing you to identify songs (like Shazam) without an internet connection.
Other features include eight new emojis, improved keyboard accuracy when typing quickly, and the ability to mark reminders as urgent from the Quick Toolbar or by touching and holding the reminder.
You can also filter emergency reminders in the smart list, and there’s a “reduce motion” setting coming soon that will reduce the animation of the liquid glass for those sensitive to motion.
There are some other features as well. Purchase Sharing will allow adult members of a Family Sharing group to use their own payment method for purchases without relying on the family organizer, while Freeform will join Apple Creator Studio and gain access to advanced image creation and editing tools and a library of premium content.
There’s no official release date for iOS 26.4 yet, but we suspect it won’t be too long.