iOS 26.4 Beta 1 Arrives With Fanfare But No Party

The iOS 26.4 beta cycle began with even more anticipation than usual. For several months, rumors suggested that this would be the cycle where Apple’s more personally aware Siri would finally emerge. The same Siri we were shown for 4 minutes at WWDC and one designed to understand the user’s context and act accordingly between apps with Apps Intent. That didn’t happen in beta 1.

Behind the scenes at Cupertino, iOS 26.4 appears to be more of a prep and polish release, at least based on initial impressions. The more intelligent Siri appears to be on track for iOS 26.5 or perhaps even iOS 27, which will be previewed in a couple of months in June. Some of the biggest changes in iOS 26.4 beta 1 are listed below.

Apple Music Playlist Playground

In Apple Music, you can now use text-based prompts to create playlists. Currently, it doesn’t seem to be functioning properly (users, myself included, can’t seem to get it to work), but the potential is huge. This feature seems more like an iOS 27 level feature that they could have easily saved for June. It reminds me of the Photos memory feature that lets you type in a prompt to create a memory.

Although, Playlist Playground is in a weird position as of beta 1. Some coverage puts it forward as an Apple Intelligence feature, but initial reports and testing indicate it is functional on devices that do not support Apple Intelligence, which is an indication that it is a server-based solution operating within the Apple Music environment rather than a full model on the device. Time will tell.

Full‑screen artwork for albums and playlists

Staying in the Music app, Apple has again transformed the Music app’s user interface, this time with a dramatic edge-to-edge design for albums and playlists. It centers on album art as the main visual language, filling up the entire interface as opposed to just a white/black background. It’s stunning on today’s iPhones.

App Store search in bottom bar

Search is now located at the bottom navigation bar, bringing symmetry back to the App Store. Having the full bottom bar design makes me miss having quick access to the Updates section of my apps before Apple Arcade took it’s spot.

Wallpaper gallery packs

Wallpapers are now organized into downloadable packs: Color, Emoji, Weather, are now stored locally only after you choose them instead of being pre-installed. This is very efficient and organized, but it also hints that in the future, Apple could open up to third-party wallpaper packs on the App Store. Imagine a wallpaper extension that allows apps to donate wallpaper packs to the gallery.

Shortcuts: set battery charge limit

There’s a new Shortcuts action that lets you control battery charging limits much more precisely based on context, such as using one limit when you get home and another when you arrive at work. It’s basically a manual, rule-based implementation of Optimized Battery Charging, for when Apple’s automatic best guesses are wrong.

You Aren’t Invited. Sorry.

It’s not an event. That’s the first thing to understand. Apple hasn’t put it on the Events page, there isn’t a “join us online” style of presentation, and the language is very, very specific: this is an “experience,” not a keynote.

Experiences are about getting people in a room, in a city, in front of hardware. What Apple is building for March 4 looks much more like a roadshow than a show.

Strategically, the big news in this “experience” is the new low-cost MacBook. It’s right in the crosshairs of students and younger buyers who watch their budget first. Where does that demographic actually hear about new products? Influencers. To shift the balance of the announcement to the creators and the social coverage is a smart play.

These new Macs are also expected to feature the brightest colors the lineup has offered in a decade. In an “experience” format, Apple can dictate the lighting and the setup, so the colors will photograph exactly as the design team intended.

Enveloped in all of this, you can almost write the script for the post-experience coverage: hands-on reviews about how Apple Intelligence feels “instant” on the new MacBook, and how it fits into the student workflow and everyday tasks in a way that makes the product less about being a budget option and more about being a way into the Mac story.

The multi-city format also reveals what is definitely not happening. There is definitely no large pre-recorded keynote of the sort we’ve grown accustomed to since 2020. At best, I’d guess a short YouTube video that serves as a mini-keynote as we’ve seen in the past and the usual marketing hype and press release to formalize everything.

This makes this March 4 experience doubly interesting. On one hand, it’s a showcase for Apple Intelligence, new Mac hardware, and the new iPhone 17e. On the other, it’s Apple exploring how far it can push without the benefit of an Event, capital E. This also isn’t the first time we’ve seen something like this, but the hype in the last couple of weeks about new products has given this “experience” more hype than usual.

On the docket for that day is a new low-cost MacBook, the iPhone 17e, and maybe new iPads, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. All of them are entry-level and mid-range products, so expect a heavy push on Apple Intelligence support across everything announced and a big appeal to students for the new MacBook. Colors. Yay!

Apple Kicks off First Saudi Ramadan Campaign

Apple has only just opened its online store in Saudi Arabia towards the end of last year, so this Ramadan is the first time it really gets to showcase how it wants to be seen here. To celebrate the beginning of the month, Apple has launched its first Ramadan-themed campaign on the online store.

This isn’t a type of promotion where Apple gives out goodies as it has in other countries, such as China, for other holidays. It’s more of a financing play. Apple is promoting its partnership with Tamara, which allows customers to purchase items on a six-month payment plan with 0% fees, with no down payment, until March 30, 2026.

Something similar is also available in the UAE, where customers can purchase eligible Apple items on a 24-month payment plan with 0% interest in partnership with Emirates NBD bank.

In terms of design, Apple has gone all out. This year’s Ramadan promotion is the best I’ve seen yet from Apple Saudi and the rest of the GCC. And, of course, there are new wallpapers.

To all my readers observing, Ramadan Mubarak.