iOS 26.4 Third Developer Beta: Here’s everything you need to know

On Monday, Apple released the third developer beta of iOS 26.4, a week after Beta 2. The update carries build number 23E5223f and weighs in at roughly 1.6–1.68 GB, depending on your device.

As explored in the latest update and the developer release notes, this point release is all about polish, fixing bugs from earlier betas, and delivering performance and battery life gains.

New Emojis (with a catch)

Apple added a fresh batch of emojis, including Trombone, Treasure Chest, Distorted Face, Fight Cloud, Ballet Dancer, Hairy Creature (Bigfoot-style), Orca, and Landslide. Unfortunately, these emojis currently render as blank squares or question marks on iOS devices, though they display correctly on Android. We can expect a fix in the next beta.

Major Bug Fixes

• App Store and Games app now load significantly faster.
• Spotlight search is responsive again.
• Gmail compose/send bug is resolved.
• Podcast video captions appear instantly and consistently.
• RCS end-to-end encryption no longer breaks and falls back to SMS.
• Wallpaper editor “Done” button no longer overlaps the battery icon.
• Minor network and UI glitches cleaned up.

Performance & Battery

Early testers report noticeably smoother animations, fewer background refreshes, and improved battery efficiency compared with Beta 2. Additionally, the modem firmware was updated on iPhone 17-series models.

That’s not it, the iOS 26.4 includes the following upgrades.

• Apple Music redesign with full-page artwork, AI Playlist Playground (text prompts generate custom 25-song playlists), and “Concerts Near You.”
• Native video podcast support with HLS streaming and offline downloads.
• RCS end-to-end encryption is now testable between iPhone and Android.
• Stolen Device Protection is enabled by default.
• New ambient music widget, per-device hotspot data tracking, and Sleep app bedtime metrics.

How to Install

Registered developers can download the third iOS 26.4 beta by entering Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates > iOS 26 Developer Beta. Apple will release the public beta soon for eligible devices.

Should You Install?

Beta 3 feels more stable than its previous build, but Apple still recommends secondary devices to install this beta version. A final release is targeted for late March 2026, with Beta 4 likely to arrive next week.

If you are still doubtful, we’ll suggest that you wait for the public rollout of iOS 26.4.