iOS 26.4 Beta 2 Adds RCS Encryption That Won't Actually Ship Yet and More Transparent Glass

Apple just dropped iOS 26.4 Beta 2 for developers, and if you were hoping for a major feature dump ahead of the rumored March 4 event... you might want to temper those expectations. This beta is light on fireworks, though it does include one genuinely significant development buried in the release notes.

RCS Encryption: The Headline That Comes With an Asterisk

The biggest addition is end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging between iPhone and Android devices. On paper, that's huge — it means green bubble conversations could finally get the same security treatment as iMessage. In practice, Apple is quick to note this feature "is not shipping in this release" and "is not available for all devices or carriers."

So yes, encrypted cross-platform messaging is technically in the beta for testing, but don't expect it to roll out to your iPhone anytime soon. It's a promise more than a feature at this point, and Apple's track record on delivering RCS improvements has been... deliberate, to put it charitably.

Reduce Highlighting Effects

The second notable addition is an accessibility feature that lets users reduce the highlighting effect on the edges of buttons and sliders. If the Liquid Glass design language has been visually overwhelming for you, this is a welcome toggle. But let's be honest — this is the kind of thing that probably should have shipped with the original Liquid Glass rollout, not months later in a point release beta.

Even More Transparent Liquid Glass

The Home Screen editing menu — where you customize wallpapers and add widgets — now uses even more transparent Liquid Glass effects. Apple continues to iterate on its polarizing design language, making glass glassier. Whether that's a good thing depends entirely on which side of the Liquid Glass debate you fall on.

How to Try iOS 26.4 Beta 2

If you're enrolled in the Apple Beta Software Program, head to Settings > General > Software Updates. The usual disclaimers apply: back up your device first, don't install betas on your primary phone unless you're comfortable with bugs, and check the full release notes at the Apple Developer portal.

The Bigger Picture

The thin feature list here might actually be strategic. Apple has a special event scheduled for March 4, and the company is widely expected to announce new devices alongside iOS updates. It's possible Apple is saving the real iOS 26.4 features for that stage. Or it's possible this is just a maintenance release that happens to include an encryption feature that won't be ready for months. Either way, beta testers won't find much to get excited about in this particular build.