Normally, Apple’s beta timing is pretty predictable. After a major system update, the first preliminary version of the next major update appears a week later – which is initially maintained for three to four betas every two weeks. This time the short break between release and new beta was true again, but the latter statement was not true. Surprisingly, Apple has already released the second developer version, seven days after the start of the testing phase. There is also a big jump in the build number (see below). What’s new in 26.4
The main innovations of System 26.4 include HTTP Live Streaming for video podcasts. Industry observers see the move as a sign of wanting to get a piece of the pie that YouTube, for example, currently holds. Apple is also working on end-to-end encryption for RCS, although Apple mentions in the documentation that the feature is not yet available with 26.4.
Other innovations include charging limits on notebooks that can be set more precisely, the comeback of the compact tab bar in Safari and warnings when running apps via Rosetta – the latter only works to a very limited extent from macOS 28 (autumn 2027).
The current betas
Finally, as always, the well-known list of currently available beta versions. As is usual with a second beta, the letter at the end is still a long way from “a”. The first beta was a bit surprising in this regard: a “q”, as in the case of iOS and iPadOS 26.4, is quite rare, and you also don’t see “k” for macOS and “m” for watchOS, tvOS and visionOS often. With the new builds, however, Apple consistently jumps to “e”, while for macOS it is “f”.
This is what it currently looks like in the developer area – a public beta is not yet available, but it should appear with little delay for participants in the test program
| system | Build number | Published |
| macOS 26.4 Beta 2 | 25E5218f | 02/23/2026 |
| iOS 26.4 Beta 2 | 23E5218e | 02/23/2026 |
| iPadOS 26.4 Beta 2 | 23E5218e | 02/23/2026 |
| watchOS 26.4 Beta 2 | 23T5221e | 02/23/2026 |
| tvOS 26.4 Beta 2 | 23L5219e | 02/23/2026 |
| visionOS 26.4 Beta 2 | 23O5220e | 02/23/2026 |
