- Apple’s iOS 26.4 beta update is available for iPhones
- The update contains several exciting new features
- But it lacks the new Siri powered by Apple Intelligence
Apple’s iOS 26.4 update is here – at least in beta form – and it brings a host of new features and improvements. From health metrics to camera tweaks, the beta contains plenty of improvements – and one glaring absence.
We’ve rounded up some of the most important changes below so you can see what you’re getting if you decide to download and install the beta. If you decide to go this route, be sure to back up your iPhone in case something goes wrong.
1. Zoom audio in the Camera app
Apple’s Camera app got a new “Audio Zoom” setting in iOS 26.4. When enabled, recorded audio will be focused on the subject of your video when you zoom in. This could help ensure that distracting sounds are removed – or at least not the focus of your video – and that you can properly hear the audio coming from your subject.
2. Health app updates
Several changes have been made to the Health app in iOS 26.4, which will hopefully give you a better understanding of your well-being. For example, the Sleep section of the app has a new Average Bedtime metric that displays the times you went to bed over the past 14 nights.
Additionally, the Vitals section of the Health app now includes your blood oxygen level on the daily summary graph. Although earlier versions of iOS had a section with blood oxygen information, your levels weren’t as easy to find.
3. Personal hotspot
Do you use the Personal Hotspot setting to share the amount of data on your iPhone with other devices? In iOS 26.4, it’s now much easier to see how much data you’re using this way. In the Personal Hotspot section of the Settings app, you can tap Data Usage to see how much data is being sent to your Apple devices, with non-Apple products listed under the Other Devices heading. The total consumption of your personal hotspot is displayed next to the Data Usage button.
4. Apple Music
Want to add a track to multiple playlists in Apple Music? Until now, this was impossible, which was a frustrating limitation of Apple’s music streaming service. Now that’s all changed in iOS 26.4, with the update letting you select a song and choose multiple existing playlists to add it to. This should save you a lot of time adding tracks and managing your music library repeatedly.
5. Shortcuts
Apple’s Shortcuts app is a great – and very underrated – tool on your iPhone. With iOS 26.4, it gets a Set Battery Charge Limit control. This lets you automatically set a limit on your iPhone’s charging percentage, which could help extend its life and slow down battery wear. It works in 5% increments, from 80% to 100%, and mirrors a similar shortcut recently added to macOS 26.4.
Where is the new Siri?
Despite all the updates, there’s one feature that’s notable by its absence: a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence. Past rumors suggested this would be introduced in iOS 26.4, but despite these claims we’re still stuck with the standard version of Apple’s virtual assistant.
In recent days, claims have been made that Apple is having difficulty with the new version of Siri and that the feature could be pushed back to later versions of iOS 26, or even iOS 27. This seemed like bad news for Apple, and now that the absence of the new Siri has been confirmed, it raises serious questions about Apple’s ability to measure up to its competitors when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI). The new Siri really needs to wow people to give Apple a chance to compete – as soon as it arrives.
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