Apple Releases iOS 26.4 Beta 4 and iPadOS 26.4 Beta 4 to Developers [Download]

Apple has seeded the fourth developer betas of iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 for testing. The updates arrive about a week after the company pushed out a revised version of the third beta.



The iOS 26.4 testing cycle has steadily introduced a mix of system refinements and new capabilities. In earlier builds, Apple began testing end-to-end encryption for RCS chats between iPhones and Android devices. Security was also tightened by enabling Stolen Device Protection by default, while Apple Podcasts shifted to an HTTP Live Streaming backend to support dynamic video ad insertion.


For drivers, the update opens the door for third-party conversational AI apps like ChatGPT to run natively on the CarPlay dashboard. However, the much broader Siri overhaul that many expected to see this spring is still missing. Internal testing reportedly uncovered performance issues, pushing those generative AI upgrades to a later release.

As is typical for later stages of a beta cycle, this fourth release is expected to focus primarily on bug fixes and overall system stability rather than sweeping new features. We are currently installing the software and will provide updates if any notable changes surface.

Registered developers can download the new builds directly from the Apple Developer Center or over the air through the Software Update menu in Settings.