iOS 26.4 Beta 4: All the Latest Features and Changes
▼ Summary
– Apple has released the latest iOS 26.4 beta, which includes new emoji characters like a trombone, treasure chest, and orca.
– The update renames an Accessibility setting to “Reduce Bright Effects,” which minimizes flashing and highlighting from onscreen elements.
– Apple has removed the RCS end-to-end encryption beta from this release, delaying its full implementation to a future iOS update.
– This beta version is the first that can be installed on the newly announced iPhone 17e and M4 iPad Air devices.
– The release contains fewer new features than earlier betas, with a comprehensive list available in a separate feature guide.
Apple continues to refine its upcoming mobile operating system with the release of iOS 26.4 beta 4, now accessible to developers and public testers. While later beta stages typically focus on stability over new additions, this iteration introduces a fresh batch of emoji and several noteworthy adjustments to settings and messaging protocols. These incremental updates are crucial for polishing the user experience before the official public launch.
A colorful set of new pictograms has arrived. The latest emoji keyboard now includes a trombone, a treasure chest, a distorted face, a hairy creature, a fight cloud, an orca, and a landslide. Furthermore, new skin tone modifiers are available for the people wrestling and dancers with bunny ears emojis, and the ballet dancer emoji now offers a gender-neutral option.
Within the Accessibility menu, a key setting has received a clearer name. The previous “Reduce Highlighting Effects” option is now labeled “Reduce Bright Effects.” Apple clarifies that this function minimizes intense highlighting and flashing animations that occur when users interact with onscreen elements like buttons or the keyboard, which can be helpful for those with light sensitivity.
A significant change involves the Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard. Apple has removed the RCS end-to-end encryption beta that was present in the first three iOS 26.4 betas. The company had previously stated this advanced encryption would not be part of the iOS 26.4 update and would arrive in a future version. The testing phase included encrypted iPhone-to-iPhone and iPhone-to-Android RCS conversations. While iMessage already features encryption, the future full implementation of RCS encryption aims to bring that same security level to text-based conversations between iPhones and Android devices.
This beta version also marks an important milestone for hardware compatibility. iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 beta 4 are the first betas that support installation on the new iPhone 17e and the M4 iPad Air, allowing developers to optimize apps for these upcoming devices.
For a comprehensive look at all features discovered since the initial beta, users can refer to dedicated iOS 26.4 feature guides. These resources compile the various additions and refinements that have been introduced throughout the testing cycle.
(Source: Mac Rumors)
