Apple Releases watchOS 26.4, tvOS 26.4 and visionOS 26.4 Release Candidates

[MacRumors]

Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming watchOS 26.4, tvOS 26.4 and visionOS 26.4 updates for testing purposes. The software comes a week after Apple released the fourth betas. Release candidates are the final updates that will be provided to the public in the near future if no final bugs are discovered.

The software updates are available through the Settings app on each device. tvOS 26.4 and watchOS 26.4 are available to public beta testers and developers, while visionOS 26.4 is limited to developers.

watchOS 26.4 adds a new Average Bedtime metric to the sleep features that sync to the health app, so you can better keep an eye on how bedtime impacts overall sleep quality.

tvOS 26.4 eliminates the iTunes Movies and iTunes TV Shows apps on the Apple TV. These apps haven't worked for some time and have directed users to the Apple TV app for purchases, but Apple is finally phasing them out entirely. Apple also added a Continuous Audio Connection option for HDMI output.

visionOS 26.4 includes support for foveated streaming for apps and games. Foveated streaming allows video to be streamed to the precise area where a user is looking, and peripheral areas are compressed. It allows for higher visual quality and lower latency.

Article Link: Apple Releases watchOS 26.4, tvOS 26.4 and visionOS 26.4 Release Candidates

 

[surfzen21]

I hope this fixes the stupid restriction WatchOS26 introduced that limited spoken metrics in workouts, to only when a cellular connection was active either on the watch or with a phone close.

 

[Wizec]

Here’s hoping that the watchOS fitness app is more responsive.

 

[xander49x]

It also takes away the wish list, something I use, so updating is not an option for me.

 

[Rychiar]

I'm ready. Vision OS has been extra buggy since .3

 

[CarAnalogy]

That's crazy it's just now supported foveated rendering for those purposes.

I do look forward to having a Vision Pro one day when it's a real consumer product rather than the developer device that even Apple realizes in retrospect they should have called it.

 

[segfaultdotorg]

How come we never hear about the release candidates for Android or FireOS?

 

[janderland]

How come we never hear about the release candidates for Android or FireOS?

Here’s the short version: you rarely hear about “release candidates” for Android or Fire OS because Google and Amazon have largely moved away from the traditional RC model, shifting instead to continuous beta/canary-style releases that don’t emphasize RCs as a public milestone. Android still has RC‑like builds internally, but they’re no longer a major public event, and Fire OS development is even more opaque.

 

[LazyMonkIE]

I hope there is an update to HomePod 2 because the last update keeps losing sound for sometimes up to 10 seconds while the HonePod just blinks at you while I assume it reconnects. HomePod has been VERY unreliable since the last update.