Everything New in iOS 26.4 Beta 4

[MacRumors]

Apple is continuing to test the iOS 26.4 beta, and the latest update is now available for developers and public beta testers. As testing goes on, there are fewer new features in each beta, but today’s release adds new emoji characters and a few other changes.

New Emoji

Apple added new emoji characters, including trombone, treasure chest, distorted face, hairy creature, fight cloud, orca, and landslide.

There are also new skin tone modifiers people wrestling and dancers with bunny ears, as well as a gender neutral option for the ballet dancer emoji.

Reduce Bright Effects

Apple renamed the prior Reduce Highlighting Effects Accessibility setting to “Reduce Bright Effects,” and explained what it does.

Apple says the feature "minimizes highlighting and flashing when interacting with onscreen elements, such as buttons or the keyboard.

RCS Encrypted Messaging

Apple has removed the RCS end-to-end encryption beta in the fourth beta of iOS 26.4 after testing it in the prior three betas. Apple already said that end-to-end encryption for RCS would not launch in the iOS 26.4 update, and would instead be introduced in the future.

Apple tested end-to-end encryption for iPhone-to-iPhone RCS conversations, and iPhone-to-Android conversations. iMessage communications are already encrypted, but in a future iOS update, full implementation of RCS encryption will mean that iPhone-to-Android text message conversations have the same level of encryption.

New Device Support

iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 beta 4 are the first betas that are able to be installed on the new iPhone 17e and M4 iPad Air.

More New Features

We have a list of all features found in prior betas in our iOS 26.4 feature guide.

Article Link: Everything New in iOS 26.4 Beta 4

 

[NetMage]

No tombstone preview?

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

does "reduce bright effects" essentially disable HDR UI? if so , that's welcome

 

[T.i.m.]

Oooh a trombone emoji - finally I can ditch my Android device. On a more serious note (pun intended) does Apple track how many emojis are used? Or whether any are used at all?

 

[QuarterSwede]

does "reduce bright effects" essentially disable HDR UI? if so , that's welcome

That’s what the description alludes to.

 

[QuarterSwede]

Oooh a trombone emoji - finally I can ditch my Android device. On a more serious note (pun intended) does Apple track how many emojis are used? Or whether any are used at all?

They probably do but it doesn’t matter since they support whatever the standard does (yes, there is a committee for emojis).

 

[switz]

I often remember that a camel was designed by a committee that was working on horse....

 

[HouseLannister]

The RCS encryption was announced March last year. It’s long overdue and needs to be prioritized. It feels like they are just saving it for an iOS 28 bento box slide. Get it done already! Then they need to start on editing and unsend for RCS.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

That’s what the description alludes to.

that's what I thought, but when i checked people's impressions on reddit it seems it didnt have such an effect. however I've just seen a twitter post which indicates that it does indeed disable this stupid brightness thing

 

[xeux]

Where the hell is RCS proper at this point? Goodness.

 

[Kkspire]

The RCS encryption was announced March last year. It’s long overdue and needs to be prioritized. It feels like they are just saving it for an iOS 28 bento box slide. Get it done already! Then they need to start on editing and unsend for RCS.

I’m sure they wish is was that simple. Technical things take time. I’d imagine it be excruciating when you have to wait and work with carriers.

 

[scotth23]

The longer it takes them to implement any Siri updates, the more I feel like we're going to be disappointed.

 

[Astuces iOS]

IOS 26.4 is the most boring update ever…

 

[dominiongamma]

Ye

IOS 26.4 is the most boring update ever…

Yet people keep sticking with Apple.

 

[Astuces iOS]

Ye

Yet people keep sticking with Apple.

too much of that and people will switch to android

 

[Byte-64]

Still no RCS Encryption is a super let-down.

 

[skiguy45]

"minimizes highlighting and flashing when interacting with onscreen elements, such as buttons or the keyboard.

Will have to wait and see exactly what this does and doesn't do, but this has been one of my major complaints (besides the general illegibility) of liquid glass. Every single thing is animated and flashes. It's maddening.

 

[michsu]

So basically you didn’t do anything…

 

[TJFDenver]

Ye

Yet people keep sticking with Apple.

Once my Intel Macs are sunset, I’ll be leaving, at least in part, the computer side of the iApple ecosystem …

Slowly butt Shirley

 

[CarAnalogy]

does "reduce bright effects" essentially disable HDR UI? if so , that's welcome

I sincerely doubt it. This is more walking back of Liquid Glass. This refers to the distracting flashing that happens when pressing a button now. To bring the focus to your content, but of course.

 

[eveluvsrainbows]

IOS 26.4 is the most boring update ever…

no it actually is not.

 

[Johnny907]

That stupid glowing ring is still a thing despite the new toggles. My wife absolutely hates it and since she pointed it out I can’t not see it either.
Whatever change they make in iOS27, I hope they at least allow users to disable the Liquid Glass nonsense entirely.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Yet people keep sticking with Apple.

Sticking with what you have is less effort, and cheaper, than switching. It doesn't mean one is better than the other.

 

[klasma]

does "reduce bright effects" essentially disable HDR UI? if so , that's welcome

No, it only turns off some animated flashing/highlighting effects that appear when interacting with Liquid Glass controls.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Apple says the feature "minimizes highlighting and flashing when interacting with onscreen elements, such as buttons or the keyboard.

A welcome change! Now we need one that gets rid of specular highlights