Apple today seeded the release candidates of iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 to developers and public beta testers for final testing. The release candidates come one weeks after the fourth beta seeds.
Release candidates are usually identical to the final version of the software that will be released to the public provided that no show stopping bugs be found.
Registered developers can download the new release candidates using the Software Update section of the Settings app.
iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3 will likely be released to the public next week.
Apple’s release notes for the iOS 26.4 RC are as follows:
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 lookAccessibility
– 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 motionThis 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 quicklyFor information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit:
https://support.apple.com/100100Some 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
As usual, MacTrast and Apple both warn users to not install any release candidates or betas on their daily driver iPhone or iPad. Instead, only install betas on a device set aside for testing purposes.