Apple today released macOS 26.4, iOS 26.4, and iPadOS 26.4, pushing a set of improvements to Mac, iPhone, and iPad users. Several of the changes are shared across each platform, so we’ll touch on those first before breaking down the updates for each individual OS.
What’s New Across macOS, iOS, and iPadOS
Several of the most notable changes in today’s updates apply across all three platforms. Whether you’re on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad, here’s what you can expect.
8 New Emoji
All three platforms gain eight new emoji characters with this update: Ballet Dancer, Distorted Face, Fight Cloud, Hairy Creature (aka Bigfooot), Landslide, Orca, Trombone, and Treasure Chest.
It’s important to note the new emoji will only render correctly for users who have also updated to the 26.4 versions of their respective operating systems. Anyone on an older release will see a placeholder character instead.
Apple Music Gets a Significant Upgrade
Apple Music received the most attention in this release cycle, with four new features:
- Playlist Playground (beta) is a new AI-powered tool that builds a complete playlist based on what you type.
- Concerts surfaces nearby shows from artists already in your library, and recommends new artists based on your listening history.
- Full-screen backgrounds give album and playlist pages a more immersive look, with artwork filling the display.
- Ambient Music widgets for Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing bring curated playlists directly to your Home Screen.
Freeform Joins Apple Creator Studio
Freeform gains access to Apple’s Creator Studio suite across all three platforms. Subscribers unlock advanced image creation and editing tools and a premium content library. On Mac, the update also adds compatibility with OpenAI’s image-generation model and the ability to upscale low-resolution images.
Reminders: Urgent Filtering Comes to Smart Lists
You can now mark reminders as urgent using a keyboard shortcut or by touching and holding an item. The update also adds the ability to filter for urgent reminders in Smart Lists, a feature conspicuously absent when the Urgent designation was originally introduced.
Family Sharing: Members Can Now Use Their Own Payment Methods
Adult members of an iCloud account family can use their own payment method when making purchases rather than having every transaction charged to the family organizer’s card. The change applies to purchase sharing across all platforms.
Subtitles and Captions Are Easier to Access and Customize
Subtitle and caption settings are now available directly from the captions icon while you’re watching content—no need to dig through Settings. A real-time preview lets you see how your customizations will look before you commit to them.
What’s New in macOS 26.4
Beyond the cross-platform additions above, macOS 26.4 brings several changes that are specific to the Mac, including a welcome bug fix that users have been waiting on since macOS 26 launched.
FINALLY: The Window Corner Radius Bug is Fixed
macOS 26.4 resolves an issue where the resize pointer didn’t follow the window’s rounded corner shape, meaning clicks in the corner area were not registering as resize actions as expected. Apple initially listed this as a fixed bug in the release notes, then quietly reclassified it as a known issue during the beta period. It now appears to actually be resolved.
Safari Gets the Compact Tab Bar Back
When macOS 26 originally shipped, it removed the Compact tab bar layout from Safari, leaving users with only the Separate layout option. macOS 26.4 restores the choice.
Native Battery Charge Limit for Mac
macOS 26.4 adds a native Charge Limit setting that allows users to cap their battery charge anywhere between 80% and 100%. Third-party utilities have offered this capability for years, but it’s now built directly into the operating system. Keeping the charge below 100% when your Mac is often plugged in is a well-established practice for extending long-term battery health.
Rosetta 2 End-of-Support Warnings Begin
Apple has previously announced that macOS 27 will be the final version to support Rosetta 2, the translation layer that allows Intel-compiled apps to run on Apple Silicon Macs. Starting with macOS 26.4, the OS will now display a notification whenever a user opens an app that relies on Rosetta, alerting them that support will end in the next major release. If you’re still running any legacy Intel apps, now is a good time to check whether Apple Silicon-native versions are available.
What’s New in iOS 26.4
Keyboard Accuracy Improvements
Ever since the release of iOS 26, the internet has slowly been filling up with complaints that sound a lot like “Typing in iOS 26 is completely broken.” So, if you feel like the keyboard in iOS 26 was worse than before, take comfort in the fact that 1) you weren’t alone and 2) Apple heard you.
iOS 26.4 includes improvements to keyboard accuracy when typing quickly, addressing a long-reported issue where fast typists would see missed or incorrect key registrations.
Apple Music: Offline Song Recognition
In addition to the Music updates shared with other platforms, iOS 26.4 adds Offline Music Recognize to Control Center. This lets your iPhone identify songs playing around you even without an internet connection. The result is stored and delivered automatically the next time you’re back online.
Liquid Glass Motion Reduction Improved
For users who have Reduce Motion enabled, iOS 26.4 makes the setting more effective at reducing Liquid Glass animations throughout the interface. Apple says the update more reliably dials back motion effects for users sensitive to screen movement.
Reduce Bright Effects Accessibility Setting
A new Reduce Bright Effects option in Accessibility minimizes bright flashes that occur when tapping buttons and other interactive elements. This is particularly useful for users sensitive to sudden changes in screen brightness or contrast.
What’s New in iPadOS 26.4
Hidden Windows Popup for Multitasking
iPad power users who work with multiple windows will appreciate a new Hidden Windows popup in iPadOS 26.4. The feature surfaces open windows that have become obscured or hard to locate, making it easier to manage a busy multitasking workspace without losing track of what’s running.
Safari Compact Tab Bar Returns to iPad
Like macOS, iPadOS 26.4 restores the Compact tab bar layout option in Safari. On the iPad’s larger display, this layout gives you a cleaner, more space-efficient look when browsing with multiple tabs open.
Podcasts: Enhanced Video Experience
Apple Podcasts on iPad gains an enhanced video podcast experience in this update, improving how video content is displayed and navigated within the app. As video podcasting continues to grow, the improvements make the iPad a more capable destination for that format.
Health App Data Visualization Updates
The Health app receives updated data visualizations in iPadOS 26.4, with improvements to how sleep and vitals data are displayed. The changes make it easier to spot trends and interpret your health data at a glance on the iPad’s larger screen.
Refreshed Wallpaper Gallery
iPadOS 26.4 also updates the wallpaper gallery with new options in the wallpaper picker — a small but visible refresh for anyone who regularly customizes their iPad’s appearance.
How to Update
macOS 26.4, iOS 26.4, and iPadOS 26.4 are available now. On iPhone and iPad, go to Settings > General > Software Update. On Mac, open System Settings and select General > Software Update. As always, it’s a good idea to back up your device before installing any software update.
Looking further ahead, Apple is expected to release iOS 26.5 next, and is anticipated to preview iOS 27 at WWDC 2026 in June, with a public release following in September.
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