Apple releases iOS 26.4 with new emoji and video podcasts
Updated
Updated · CNET · May 6
Apple releases iOS 26.4 with new emoji and video podcasts
12 articles · Updated · CNET · May 6
Rolled out on 24 March, the iPhone update also includes more than two dozen bug fixes and security patches, plus eight new emoji approved in Unicode 17.0.
New features include Apple Music's Playlist Playground and Concerts, offline Shazam recognition, Ambient Music home-screen widgets, expanded caption controls and a Reduce Bright Effects accessibility setting.
The release also lets adult Family Sharing members use their own payment methods, adds wallpaper collection controls and support for AirPods Max 2, ahead of an expected iOS 26.5 update.
How will Apple's AI-powered features in iOS 26.4 change the balance between privacy, innovation, and user control as on-device intelligence expands?
With iOS 26.4 requiring newer devices for Apple Intelligence, what happens to users on older iPhones—will they face obsolescence or limited functionality?
As Apple prepares Siri to support multiple AI providers, could this open ecosystem disrupt the current app-centric model and reshape mobile user experiences?