Apple releases iOS, iPadOS, macOS 26.4 with a long list of medium-size tweaks

The 26.4 updates are more significant than the last few updates have been.

Apple has released the 26.4 updates to all of its major software platforms today, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS Tahoe, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS, and the HomePod. The most important reason to install each update is the big pile of included security fixes—you can see the ones Apple is disclosing for iOS/iPadOS and macOS on its security website—but the updates also include a few significant new features, a change from the mostly quiet 26.3 release last month.

We covered many of the most notable features when the first versions of these updates were released through Apple’s beta testing channels. Those include charging limits for MacBooks, for those who don’t want to allow their batteries to charge to their full capacities; the return of the “compact” tab view for Safari running on macOS Tahoe and iPadOS 26; and enabled-by-default Stolen Device Protection.

Other features include the handful of new emoji from the Unicode 17.0 release (see Emojipedia for more); AI-generated Apple Music playlists; new Creator Studio features for the built-in Freeform app; and the ability for adults in a Family Sharing group to use different payment methods from one another when making purchases.

One feature that Apple is publicly testing but which isn’t in the final version of the 26.4 release is end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging. For now, texting with Android users will continue to use the unencrypted version of RCS that Apple began rolling out in 2024 (or, in some cases depending on carrier compatibility, SMS). The version of the RCS standard that supports end-to-end encryption (version 3.0, for the record) also supports things like inline replies and editing or unsending texts—Apple supports these features in iMessage, but it’s unclear whether the RCS update will add them for green-bubble text threads.

The “more intelligent Siri” backed by Google’s Gemini language models also isn’t launching in this release. Apple committed to releasing the update in 2026, but that means it could drop in an update for iOS 26 or in the iOS 27 update that Apple will likely announce at its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8.

Apple also released a few other security-focused updates for older operating systems. The iOS and iPadOS 18.7.7 updates are available for the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, as well as the 7th-gen iPad, all devices that don’t support iOS or iPadOS 26. At this point, if you’re using a device that can be upgraded to version 26, Apple is no longer releasing iOS 18 updates for your phone or tablet.

The macOS Sequoia 15.7.5 and macOS Sonoma 14.8.5 updates are also available to Macs that can’t be (or haven’t been) upgraded to macOS Tahoe. Those older macOS versions should also get a separate Safari 26.4 update, though it’s not listed on Apple’s security page yet.

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Posted Wednesday 25 March 2026 at 1:02 pm AEST (my time).

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