Apple has released iOS 26.4, bringing new features to iPhone users. The update introduces significant improvements to Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and the Reminders app. It also includes new emoji, enhanced health monitoring, and important security updates. The software is available for iPhone 11 and newer models.[macrumors+1]
Music and Entertainment Get Smarter
Apple Music now features "Playlist Playground," an AI-powered tool that creates playlists from text prompts. Users can type an idea or mood, and the feature generates a list of 25 songs. This new tool also allows for further customization of generated playlists. The Playlist Playground feature is currently available in the United States and is still in beta.[macrumors+6]
The update also adds "Concerts Near You" to Apple Music. This feature helps users find local shows and tour dates for their favorite artists, partnering with companies like Ticketmaster. Apple Music also received visual updates, including new full-page artwork for albums and playlists. The track list now adopts background colors that complement the album art. Users can now add a single song to multiple playlists at the same time. An Ambient Music widget provides quick access to curated playlists for sleep, chill, productivity, and wellbeing. Offline Music Recognition is also improved, allowing the Shazam widget in Control Center to identify songs without an internet connection and deliver results when online again.[macrumors+12]
Apple Podcasts now supports video podcasts. The app uses HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology to offer adaptive video quality based on network conditions. Users can easily switch between watching and listening to shows, and download video episodes for offline viewing. This update also enables dynamic video ad insertion for creators. Subtitle and caption settings are now easier to find and customize during playback. Video podcast capabilities are available in over 170 countries and regions.[macrumors+10]
Reminders and Health App Improvements
The Reminders app gains a new "Urgent" Smart List. This list automatically gathers all tasks marked as urgent. Users can mark tasks as urgent directly from the Quick Toolbar or by a long press. When an urgent task's due time arrives, the iPhone triggers an alarm, offering options to snooze or dismiss it.[9to5mac+5]
The Health app sees updates to its sleep and vitals sections. A new "Average Bedtime" metric helps users understand how their bedtime affects sleep quality. For users in the U.S., blood oxygen levels are now included on the line graph overview in the Vitals section.[macrumors+4]
System Enhancements and Security
iOS 26.4 introduces eight new emoji characters. These include a trombone, treasure chest, distorted face, hairy creature, fight cloud, orca, landslide, and a ballet dancer. New skin tone modifiers are also available for the people wrestling and dancers with bunny ears emoji.[macrumors+8]
CarPlay now integrates with third-party AI services like Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT. Users can access these voice-based apps hands-free to ask questions. However, these AI apps cannot control vehicle or iPhone functions, and a wake word is not available for activation.[macrumors+1]
The update also brings significant security enhancements. iOS 26.4 fixes over 35 security vulnerabilities across the operating system. A key change is that Stolen Device Protection is now enabled by default for all users. This feature adds biometric requirements for sensitive actions when the iPhone is away from familiar locations. Critical fixes address issues in Siri, Keychain, WebKit, and kernel-level vulnerabilities.[macrumors+4]
Other improvements include a "Creator Studio" for Freeform subscribers, offering AI-powered image editing and a premium content library. The Apple Account profile has a unified design across apps like the App Store and Apple Music. Keyboard accuracy has also been improved. A new "Set Charge Limit" action is available in the Shortcuts app. Additionally, Chinese (Taiwan) is now an option for Live Captions in Accessibility settings. Purchase Sharing in Family Sharing now allows adult members to use their own payment methods.[9to5mac+11]
Users can download iOS 26.4 by navigating to the Settings app, then General, and finally Software Update.[macrumors+2]
