Apple’s iOS 26.4 arrives in public beta with AI music playlists, video podcasts, and more.

Apple this week released the latest version of its mobile app, iOS 26.4, which introduces several new features, including an AI-powered playlist feature in Apple Music, support for video content in the Podcasts app, end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages, and more.

The update is currently in public beta, with a public release expected in March or April.

Apple Music AI playlists

One of the most notable improvements comes to Apple Music – iOS 26.4 introduces a new AI-powered feature called “Playlist Hub” that uses Apple Intelligence. The feature allows users to create a custom playlist of 25 songs from a text notification, such as “upbeat workout mix” or “calm evening.” Users can further improve the results and choose the same cover art.

In addition, the Apple Music user interface has been updated to display full-screen art for albums and playlists.

Concerts near you

Also, Apple Music is getting a new “Concerts Near You” section that helps users find live shows from their favorite artists. You can sort this section by date and type, or change locations if you’re on the go.

Apple Podcasts video episodes

Following Spotify’s push into video, the Apple Podcasts app makes it easy to go back and forth between audio and video episodes with this release. Creators can publish video podcasts using HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), and listeners can easily switch between audio and video playback within the same episode, to full horizontal display if they choose.

At launch, video episodes will be integrated with other Apple Podcasts features, such as personalized recommendations and editing on new tab and Category pages, just like audio podcasts.

HLS also brings an automatic quality adjustment feature, which helps videos play better regardless of whether the audience is on Wi-Fi or mobile. Also, users will be able to download video episodes to watch offline. At launch, HLS is supported by Acast, Amazon’s ART19, Triton’s Omni Studio, and SiriusXM, including SiriusXM Media, AdsWizz, and Simplecast.

Creators will be able to dynamically insert video ads, including spots read by hosts, into their podcasts. Apple does not charge creators to distribute podcasts, but says that, starting later this year, participating ad networks will have to pay a fee based on the idea of ​​dynamic ad delivery on HLS videos.

Encrypted RCS message

Messages also gets a significant upgrade with Rich Communication Services (RCS) encryption, which begins testing in iOS 26.4. End-to-end encryption of RCS conversations will one day help ensure that messages between iPhone users and Android users are as secure as iMessage.

Currently, Apple is testing this only among iPhones in beta. These conversations will be labeled as encrypted and cannot be read while being sent between devices. The company notes that this feature will be released publicly in the latest software update for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS, and the beta is not available for all devices and carriers.

Stolen Device Recovery is turned on by default

Security improvements are another highlight of iOS 26.4. Stolen Device Protection is now enabled by default, adding an extra layer of biometric authentication for sensitive actions like accessing saved passwords or making certain account changes. By requiring Face ID or Touch ID authentication in some cases, Apple reduces the risk of unauthorized access if the device is stolen and the passcode is compromised.

CarPlay adds in-car video playback

Drivers using Apple CarPlay will also notice the changes. CarPlay now supports in-car video playback of selected apps – including the Apple TV app – but only when the car is parked to ensure safety. This upgrade introduces new entertainment options for passengers when stopped or while waiting in the car for some time. (Hooray for parents in the school pickup line!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WPjCuTKEHE

Third-party AI services are coming to CarPlay

CarPlay for the first time will provide access to third-party AI services such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Anthropic’s Claude.

An app to zoom in on the camera

Meanwhile, the Camera app introduces Audio Zoom. When recording video, the microphone focuses on the subject as you zoom in, reducing background noise and improving clarity. This feature makes it easy to capture lectures, concerts, or conversations without external audio equipment.

Additionally, the Ambient Music feature is now accessible via a widget, allowing users to quickly play sounds designed for focus, sleep, or relaxation directly from the Home screen, instead of the Control Center as before. The feature, first introduced in iOS 18.4, added various ambient sounds to stream in categories such as Sleep, Relax, Productivity, and Life.

“Urgent” reminders.

There’s also a new “Urgent” section in the Reminders app that includes the most important tasks and can trigger prominent alerts when deadlines loom. Setting a reminder as urgent will add an alarm to make sure you don’t miss an event.

And more …

A few other minor features include the following:

• The new integrated Apple Account hub for the App Store, Apple Music, and other Apple apps replaces the previously used “profile” feature.
• A new animation in the Messages app when you write a message.
• The updated background gallery separates the different categories in a new way; the same design came to the Apple Watch Face Gallery. The new version includes categories for Weather, Astronomy, Emjoi, and more, among other changes.
• Apple Music lets you add songs to multiple playlists at once.
• The Health app adds a new metric: Average Sleep Time, which shows the average amount of time you’ve slept in the past two weeks. The Vitals section has also been updated to include the blood oxygen level in the daily graph.
• Freefrom is adding a Content Hub for Creator Studio subscribers, offering access to new AI features and high-quality art. Its icon has been updated, too.
• The Personal Hotspot feature now includes a Data Usage section that shows how much data has been sent to your device and which Apple and non-Apple devices have been using your data.
• Live Captions adds Chinese (Taiwan) support under language options.
• There is a new “Set Battery Charge Limit” action in Shortcuts.
• The App Store search bar is back at the top of the screen.
• The link to iCloud.com is located in a large, embedded section within the iCloud section of the Settings app. Previously, there was only a toggle to “Access iCloud data on the web.” Now it’s like a big ad for iCloud.

What’s missing from this release is the next-generation Siri experience. While Apple has signaled deep AI ambitions for its voice assistant, those big changes aren’t coming in iOS 26.4, which has reportedly been delayed as well.