Apple continues with the testing cycle of its operating system and has released the fourth beta of iOS 26.4 For developers and public testers. As is typical in advanced testing stages, the number of new features is reduced to focus on stability, although this version introduces specific interface changes, new characters, and support for recently announced hardware.
New emojis and accessibility settings
The most notable new feature of this beta is the inclusion of new characters emojiAmong the additions are a trombone, a treasure chest, a distorted face, a furry creature, a fighting cloud, an orca, and a landslide. Additionally, new skin tone modifiers have been implemented for the fighting people and bunny-eared dancer emojis, as well as a gender-neutral option for the ballet dancer.
In the section AccessibilityApple has renamed the "Reduce Highlight Effects" setting to "Reduce glare"According to the company's official description, this feature is designed to minimize glare and highlights when interacting with on-screen elements, such as buttons or the keyboard, improving the visual experience for users with specific sensitivities.
Changes to RCS messaging and device support
An unexpected move in this fourth beta has been the removal of end-to-end encryption for RCSwhich had been tested in the three previous betas. Apple has clarified that this security measure will not be released with the final version of iOS 26.4but will be integrated into a future update. The long-term goal remains that the talks between iPhone and devices Android reach the same level of encryption that it currently possesses iMessage.
On the other hand, this update is the first to offer official support for installation on the new iPhone 17e and in the iPad Air with M4 chipThis allows users who purchase these devices to directly access the beta software program to test the latest system optimizations.
Impact and availability
The launch of the fourth beta of iOS 26.4 e iPadOS 26.4 This suggests that the final version is very close to global rollout. With experimental features like RCS encryption removed, Apple appears to be prioritizing bug fixes and performance for the end user. The update is expected to be available to the entire ecosystem. iPhone in the coming weeks, once the debugging period for this latest build is complete.