ios

Apple has released the first iOS 26.4 public beta version for iPhone. iOS 26.4 includes a number of exciting new features and changes, including AI-powered Apple Music updates.

iOS 26.4 beta 1 is now available in beta for developers. The update includes a ton of new features and changes for iPhone users. There are new changes to the Music app, Messages, Apple Podcasts, and much more. Head below for the full roundup of all the new features in iOS 26.4 beta 1.

Update February 17, 2026: Now available for public beta testers as well.

Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.4 for developers today, and it includes a new Apple Intelligence feature for Apple Music.

Dubbed “Playlist Playground,” this feature lets you create playlists based on text descriptions.

As part of iOS 26.4, Apple is upgrading its Podcasts app to “bring advanced video podcast capabilities” to creators and listeners, Apple says. The new “enhanced video podcast experience” will allow users to seamlessly switch between viewing a video podcast and listening to the audio.

Apple added RCS support to iPhone with iOS 18.1, enabling richer cross-platform messaging between iPhone and Android users. This included things like typing indicators, read receipts, and high-resolution photo and video attachments.

Last March, Apple announced its plans to add support for end-to-end encryption for RCS messages.

Now, iOS 26.4 beta 1, which is rolling out today, adds an early way to test end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging on iPhone.

Apple has released the first iOS 26.4 beta for iPhone. While we originally expected iOS 26.4 to include upgraded Siri, it sounds like we won’t see those changes just yet.

According to a new report from Bloomberg, Tesla is still working on adding CarPlay integration to its cars. The automaker, however, reportedly hit “a few hurdles” that it had to ask Apple to fix.

Apple has released the highly-anticipated adoption statistics for iOS 26 for the first time. The company says that 74% of all devices introduced in the last four years are running iOS 26, while 66% of all devices are running iOS 26.

Despite inking a deal with Google to use Gemini AI as the brains behind upgraded Siri, Apple is reportedly facing internal challenges in getting the final product ready for prime time. The reported delays could stretch into iOS 27 this fall. Apple first announced a more capable version of Siri in 2024; that update hasn’t shipped yet.

There’s a new software update available for iPhone. Apple has released iOS 26.3, the third big update to Apple’s redesigned operating system and the last before a major improvement to Siri.

Like many people, Apple CarPlay is a must-have feature for me. Having quick access to key iPhone apps via my car’s screen is incredibly convenient. Here are three of my favorite recent CarPlay features.

iOS 26.4 is set to be one of the most important updates ever for the iPhone, offering a suite of new Apple Intelligence and Siri features. A new report from Bloomberg today reveals Apple’s timeline for launching iOS 26.4.

Update 2, February 2, 2026 10:10am PT: Apple has released iOS 16.7.14.

Update 1, January 28, 3pm PT: As noted by Aaron Perris, Apple has started signing iOS 12.5.8, iOS 15.8.6, and iOS 18.7.4 again. iOS 16.7.13, however, remains unavailable.

Original story (published January 28, 4:19am PT below):

Apple this week released an array of iOS updates, including iOS 26.2.1, iOS 18.7.4, and more.

Now, however, it appears that Apple has pulled some of these new updates due to problems with network connectivity in Australia.

In a new support document today, Apple details a new iOS 26.3 feature exclusive to devices with an Apple modem: “limit precise location.”

Apple explains that this setting allows you to “limit some information that cellular networks may use to determine your location.”

Apple has released iOS 26.3 beta 3 for iPhone. iOS 26.3 introduces an easier way to switch between Android and iPhone, tweaks to the Astronomy and Weather wallpaper gallery, and more.

Apple today has officially released iOS 26.2.1 for iPhone. This update comes a month after the launch of iOS 26.2, which brought changes to Liquid Glass, CarPlay, and much more.

Apple will unveil iOS 27 at WWDC in June, and rumors are already painting a clear picture: it sounds like exactly the update iPhone needs.

Apple reportedly plans to make a major pivot with Siri in iOS 27. According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, Apple is developing its first chatbot with a version of Siri that will replace the existing experience.

Apple generally adds new emojis to the iPhone with iOS updates in spring. As spotted by the folks at Emojipedia this week, the Unicode Consortium recently published the full list of draft emojis that could debut next year.

Among the list of new additions are a smiley face with squinting eyes, a pickle, an eraser, and more.

Apple released for iPhone users everywhere this week. The update focuses a lot on interoperability between iPhone and Android devices, privacy, and more. Here are all of the new features in iOS 26.3.

Apple has released the first iOS 26.3 developer beta for iPhone. One change we already expect is a joint collaboration between Apple and Google that should make switching between iOS and Android easier.