Apple released iOS 26.4 on Tuesday, offering a wide variety of new features, quality-of-life enhancements, and many security patches. This update impacts nearly every corner of the operating system, from Music and Podcasts apps to the kernel, and contains changes noticeable to both casual and security-conscious users. The update is available for iPhone 11 and later, and iPad models going back to the iPad Air 3rd generation, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation, iPad 8th generation, and iPad mini 5th generation.
Apple Music has become more advanced, with the new Playlist Playground feature allowing users in the US to generate a 25-song playlist from a text prompt, and refine results with follow-up prompts. A new “Concerts Near You” section, powered by a partnership with Ticketmaster, brings local show info directly to the app. Offline song recognition queues results for later delivery. The Podcasts app now supports video podcasts, aligning it with platforms like YouTube and Spotify.
Security and privacy are improved with Stolen Device Protection now enabled by default, requiring biometric authorization for sensitive actions when away from familiar locations. Apple fixed numerous vulnerabilities across the OS, including a Siri flaw allowing access to locked device info, a Keychain vulnerability potentially exposing stored credentials, and WebKit issues enabling cross-site scripting attacks. Kernel-level issues affecting memory and kernel state were also patched.
New features include new animations in Messages, an ambient music widget, and a Creator Studio for Freeform subscribers offering high-quality graphics. Reminders now has an Urgent section for high-priority tasks, the Health app includes an average bedtime metric and blood oxygen levels are shown in Vitals.
Accessibility updates include a “Reduce Bright Effects” option and enhancements to the Reduce Motion setting. The Camera app gains Audio Zoom to focus audio on subjects, with an option to disable. CarPlay now offers AI assistants like Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT for hands-free questions without needing a wake word. A new Set Charge Limit action is added to Shortcuts, and a keyboard bug affecting fast typing is addressed.
To update, go to Settings > General > Software Update.