[DigitalToday Kyungmin Hong (홍경민) intern reporter] Apple has released an iOS 26.4 beta version that adds a wide range of artificial intelligence-based features and visual improvements to 6 default iPhone apps, as it moves to revamp the user experience.

An update on Feb. 26 (local time) by IT media outlet 9to5Mac said the update focuses on organically linking functions across key apps and significantly improving usability for Apple Music, Reminders, Apple Podcasts, Apple TV, Health and Freeform.

The most notable change is the introduction of AI features in Apple Music. On the latest iPhones that support iOS 26.4 or later, users can create customised playlists using only natural-language commands with the Playlist Playground feature. It also applies an immersive full-screen design to albums and playlists and adds an ambient widget for the home screen, artist performance information and the ability to add songs to multiple playlists at once, overhauling the music listening experience.

The Reminders app, which is closely tied to work productivity, stands out for stronger AI-based features. It builds on the existing "urgent alerts" feature by placing a dedicated smart list at the top of the app. This allows users to immediately check and handle important time-limited tasks from the lock screen and Live Activities, helping them avoid missing key schedules or tasks.

Freeform, a productivity app, has also evolved through AI. It newly introduces a content hub to make it easy to access photos, graphics and backgrounds curated by Apple. It also includes an AI image generation feature based on an OpenAI model, greatly boosting its capabilities as a creative tool.

Apple Podcasts and Apple TV, content consumption apps, focused on improving user experience. Apple Podcasts significantly upgraded the video viewing interface so users can browse and watch content more intuitively. The Apple TV app moved the captions style menu, previously hidden under accessibility settings, into the video viewing screen. This lets users easily switch between a range of caption styles, including classic and outlined text, depending on the situation.

On the data management side, the Health app added a "bedtime" item to sleep data highlights, providing the past 2 weeks of patterns in a bar chart. Blood oxygen level data is also included again in the vitals graph, making it easier for users to check health trends.

In conclusion, iOS 26.4 deeply integrates AI across devices and refines the interface, helping users use their devices in smarter and more personalised ways. Apple delivered broad-based improvements spanning content consumption and work productivity through this beta update, and it plans to collect user feedback before releasing the official version.