iOS 26.3 RC debuted yesterday, which means the first beta version of iOS 26.4 will also be downloaded soon. Here’s every rumored new feature iOS 26.4 is expected to bring.
Major overhaul of Siri AI
Almost a year after Apple officially shelved its “more personalized” version of Siri, iOS 26.4 is expected to finally reveal what Apple has been working on for so long.
The new AI overhaul for Siri will be powered by a new partnership with Google, using Gemini technology as the basis for how Siri now works.
We’re expecting some major changes to Siri’s core infrastructure, but also at least three big new features for users:
- knowledge of personal context
- awareness on the screen
- hundreds of new in-app and cross-app events
Rumors suggest that even more changes to Siri will arrive in iOS 27, such as a chatbot-style conversational interface and possibly a major visual overhaul.
But for now, iOS 26.4 should at least provide the upgrades Apple originally promised for iOS 18.
Brand new emoticons
Every year, a group called the Unicode Consortium votes on new emoji to be added to the official emoji standard for different platforms. Last summer, nine new emoji were confirmed for the iOS 26 cycle.
Here is the full list
- Apple Core
- Ballet dancers
- Distorted face
- Fight with Cloud
- A furry creature
- Landslide
- Orca
- Trombone
- Treasure chest
Apple traditionally adds new emoticons every year in its x.4 versions, so iOS 26.4 is highly likely to bring these nine additions.
Folders in Freeform and possibly new Creator Studio features
Macworld last year they reported on a number of new features expected in iOS 26.4, iOS 27 and more. Their report was based on a leaked iOS 26 build.
Among the features marked for iOS 26.4 were folders coming to Freeform.
Freeform recently added tables in iOS 26.2, and folders are another important tool currently missing from the app.
It’s also possible that iOS 26.4 will bring some AI improvements or other changes to Freeform for Apple Creator Studio users. When Creator Studio launched last week, Apple said Freeform would be updated with “premium content and features” later this year.
Add credit cards to AutoFill in third-party apps
Apple Wallet recently got a great new AutoFill credit card storage feature, and it looks like it could be even better with iOS 26.4.
Author: Filipe Espósito at Macworld:
Apple is testing a system that detects adding a card to a third-party app and then offers to save it to iCloud Keychain. This feature would work in much the same way as AutoFill in Safari.
Expanding autofill to more places is a great move because it’s one of iOS’s best time-saving features.
“Sports Tier” in the TV app and other background improvements
Macworld also announced that there is a “Sports Tier” feature flag in iOS 26.4 related to the Apple TV app. It is not known what this might mean or if it will be visible to users or if it will be a complete background change.
One guess is that it could be related to the growing range of sports content on the TV app, as F1 races and MLS matches will be free for Apple TV subscribers.
Another potential change in the background is “a new authentication system that will check the integrity of the device before signing in to Apple ID and iCloud.” Macworld says it could potentially lock users out of Apple’s online services if the device appears to have received “unauthorized modifications, such as a jailbreak.”
iOS 26.4 New Features: Summary
The above list is only what has been talked about for iOS 26.4 so far. As with most iPhone software updates, there are usually a lot more new features and changes than are rumored to be coming.
We expect the first iOS 26.4 beta to arrive for developers later this month, and we’ll keep you posted on any changes we discover.
What new changes are you expecting in iOS 26.4? Let us know in the comments.
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