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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.
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