Apple Releases iOS 26.4 RC With New Apple Music Features, Emoji, and More

Apple has seeded the Release Candidate versions of iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 to developers and public beta testers. The update carries build number 23E244 and offers a final look at the software ahead of its public release.



Apple Music receives several notable updates in this release. A new beta feature called Playlist Playground lets users type a description to generate a custom playlist complete with a title, description, and tracklist. Apple has also added a Concerts section to help users discover nearby shows from artists in their library and recommend new artists based on listening habits. If you hear a song while offline, a new Control Center toggle can identify it and deliver results once you reconnect. The app also gains an Ambient Music widget with curated playlists for Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing, along with full-screen background artwork.


The update brings eight new emoji to the keyboard, including an orca, a trombone, a landslide, a ballet dancer, and a distorted face. Freeform gains advanced image creation and editing tools and a premium content library as it joins the Apple Creator Studio subscription.

Apple has also updated Purchase Sharing so adult members in Family Sharing groups can use their own payment methods for purchases instead of relying on the family organizer. Elsewhere, Reminders can now be marked as urgent from the Quick Toolbar or by pressing and holding, and filtered in Smart Lists, and Apple says it improved keyboard accuracy when typing quickly.

On the accessibility front, users can enable a setting to minimize bright flashes when interacting with interface elements. Apple has also refined the Reduce Motion setting so it more consistently reduces animations tied to the Liquid Glass interface. Subtitle and caption settings are now accessible from the captions icon while viewing media, making them easier to find, customize, and preview.

This testing cycle previously introduced support for third-party voice AI apps in CarPlay and end-to-end encryption for RCS chats with Android users. The major generative AI overhaul for Siri is notably absent from the release notes. Recent reports indicated those features were delayed following internal performance issues.


Registered developers and public beta testers can download the Release Candidate now by navigating to Settings > General > Software Update.