Apple releases iOS 26.4 beta 3 software update

Apple just released iOS 26.4 beta 3 to developers today, and it delivers focused improvements that help developers polish their apps for the latest iPhones and iPads. This new build is bundled with Xcode 26.4, so teams can build and test right away against the new SDK. It follows beta 2 from late February, indicating Apple’s steady pace of delivering these new software updates before public release.

iOS 26.4 beta 3 introduces new options in Background Assets. Devs can now check an asset pack’s status, even offline, via new calls on the shared manager. One returns full details while another gives a quick yes-or-no answer. Teams can also push the newest version straight to the device and keep it local. These tweaks make offline downloads more reliable without extra steps.

Apps can now opt into full memory integrity enforcement instead of the softer version used before. The change boosts protection for critical code. In Messages, testers get early access to RCS end-to-end encryption between Apple and Android devices. Chats show as locked, but the feature stays in test mode for now and won’t reach users until a later update.

The beta also clears up several bugs. Feedback reports no longer lock the close button after submission. Networking no longer leaks objects in proxy setups, and StoreKit now fires purchase intents correctly from the background. SwiftUI surfaces the latest user activity every time, and UIKit keyboard notifications arrive reliably.

A few known issues remain, including the following:

• Asset pack downloads can still crash some apps, but a simple relaunch restores access.
• External media might skip auto-mount on certain devices, and a couple of Reality Composer export paths stay empty for now.

Since the prior beta dropped just days ago, this release keeps progress rolling with targeted fixes and new developer tools. iPhone users can enroll in the developer beta to get this new update and test the latest improvements.