Apple has released iOS 26 beta 4 for developers, just a couple of weeks after beta 3. This update focuses on making the system smoother, more stable, and better for battery life. The first public beta is expected soon, so here’s what you need to know.
Apple is still working on perfecting the new Liquid Glass design. In the last two betas, the navigation bar in apps like Control Center, Apple Music, and the App Store became more opaque. The design now looks more like frosted glass. It might still change in future updates.
The previous beta brought new wallpapers. The fresh background introduced in iOS 26 now has extra color options, which look even better in Dark Mode. Apple Maps also gained a handy feature called Commute Delays. This feature was announced at WWDC 2025 but has only just been added for testers.
Other recent updates include a new ringtone, order tracking in the Wallet app, and a Recovery Assistant mode. With this mode, you no longer need to connect your iPhone to a Mac for recovery. The Messages app also got some upgrades. Chats and polls now have improved backgrounds. If you have an iPhone with Apple Intelligence, Messages can even suggest polls based on your conversations. Live Translation is also now available in Messages, Phone, and FaceTime. Apple is still adding more Apple Intelligence features, so we can expect more soon.
iOS 26 Supported Devices
Apple has dropped support for the iPhone XR and iPhone XS series. Here’s the list of devices that can run iOS 26:
- iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2nd generation)
- iPhone 12 mini, 12, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 mini, 13, 13 Pro, and 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max, and 16e
Beta 4 of iOS 26 was released alongside new beta versions of iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26. Public betas for all these updates are expected later this week.