Overview
- Apple released developer beta 1 for iOS, iPadOS, macOS Tahoe, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS, and HomePod, with public betas expected soon.
- The updates enable testing of end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging that is currently limited to iPhone-to-iPhone, with cross-platform support planned in a later 26.x release.
- Apple Podcasts adds an HLS-based video experience that lets users switch between watching and listening, supports dynamic video ads, and allows offline downloads.
- Stolen Device Protection is now enabled by default, requiring biometric authentication and time delays for sensitive actions when away from trusted locations.
- Apple Music introduces Playlist Playground to generate playlists from text prompts, refreshes album and playlist designs, and adds a tool to find nearby concerts.