{"id":490037,"date":"2026-02-25T18:00:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T18:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/490037\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T18:00:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T18:00:12","slug":"ios-26-4-beta-2-changes-and-features-hints-at-upcoming-upgrades-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/490037\/","title":{"rendered":"iOS 26.4 beta 2 changes and features: hints at upcoming upgrades [Video]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\"iOS<\/p>\n

Although it lacked the much-anticipated new Google Gemini-powered Siri features, the initial iOS 26.4 beta release was still jam-packed with new changes. As a result, we showcased over 40 new updates in our iOS 26.4 Beta 1 walkthrough<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The second iOS 26.4 Beta doesn\u2019t include nearly as many changes, but there are still several new additions and updates to consider. There\u2019s also some interesting under-the-hood stuff that hasn\u2019t been discussed yet. This includes an upcoming redesign of the permissions prompt, a new NSPredicateValidating protocol, and more clues about Apple\u2019s upcoming Studio Display refresh. <\/p>\n

In this latest episode of iOS Decoded<\/a>, we explore 10 new features and changes in iOS 26.4 beta 2. Watch the full walkthrough, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac<\/a> for more.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s new in iOS 26.4 Beta 2?<\/p>\n

In the second developer beta, Apple added a new Podcast splash screen that highlights the new video podcast feature that will offer seamless switching between video and audio, and offline video playback.<\/p>\n

The update also sees the search bar for the Games app be relocated to the top of the interface, similar to the change that we saw with the App Store in the initial beta release.<\/p>\n

Video: iOS 26.4 beta 2 changes and features<\/p>\n

Subscribe to 9to5mac on YouTube for more videos<\/a><\/p>\n

Dark mode users will be happy to learn that the Control Center context menus now feature a dark tint, replacing the previously used bright white interface. <\/p>\n

\"iOS<\/p>\n

\"iOS<\/p>\n

A new shortcut on the Music app\u2019s profile page lets users quickly jump to Settings \u2192 Apps \u2192 Music to customize Music app controls.<\/p>\n

One of the more interesting changes can be found in Settings \u2192 Accessibility \u2192 Display & Text Size. There you\u2019ll find a new Reduce Highlighting Effects switch, but we\u2019re still not exactly sure how this will affect the iOS UI. Some have speculated that this will tweak the spectral highlights of the Liquid Glass display aspects, but I haven\u2019t spotted any definitive differences. If you know, please leave a comment below.<\/p>\n

\"Accessibility<\/p>\n

Of course, Apple is also adding the ability to send and receive encrypted RCS messages, and while beta 1 is where the switch to enable the feature first appeared, Apple notes that with beta 2, users will now be able to put the feature to the test<\/a>. I tried to test E2EE RCS messages with a few Android friends<\/a>, but we didn\u2019t have the right carrier combination to make it work.<\/p>\n

As noted, iOS 26.4 beta 2 gives us a few clues about the more low-key under-the-hood changes. These updates include a future redesign of iOS permission prompts that will adopt a sheet view. <\/p>\n

\"iOSThis style of permission prompt is not long for this world<\/p>\n

The SDK also adds a new NSPredicateValidating protocol, likely a mechanism for validating predicates before actually evaluating them to prevent malware exploits that have affected this API<\/a> in the past.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Finally, the recent round of betas makes it even more apparent that a Studio Display<\/a> refresh is imminent. Apple is working on two new displays, and they seem to be quite a significant change from the outgoing Studio Display. But here\u2019s the interesting thing: between the two new models we\u2019re seeing, the only significant difference we can identify is the audio amplifier module. One of the displays will feature a larger module, indicating larger, more powerful speakers and, thus, a larger display. It could mean a 27-inch Studio Display and a 32-inch Studio Display, or something along those lines.<\/p>\n

\"AppleA new Studio Display with touch capabilities is on the horizon<\/p>\n

These displays will also include touch functionality. This could mean the displays themselves are touchscreens, or that they will have capacitive touch buttons. The displays will also include support for the subsystem that controls the Secure Indicator Light for camera\/mic usage.<\/p>\n

9to5Mac\u2019s Take<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s true that iOS 26.4 beta 2 doesn\u2019t include any major new user-facing features, as we\u2019ve shown, there are several noteworthy changes and a few additional updates under the hood that point to future iOS refinements. What are your thoughts on the second iOS 26.4 developer beta? Sound off down below with your thoughts. <\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Although it lacked the much-anticipated new Google Gemini-powered Siri features, the initial iOS 26.4 beta release was still…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":490038,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[165,74],"class_list":{"0":"post-490037","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-mobile","9":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=490037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/490038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=490037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=490037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=490037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}