macOS 26.4 is the upcoming software update for devices running macOS Tahoe. It will soon roll out to all Apple Silicon Macs and a few remaining Intel computers, as Apple prepares to phase out the Intel options later this year once macOS 27 is released to all users. While we wait for the upcoming features and changes in Apple’s next major software release, we already have a good idea of what to expect from a closer update, macOS 26.4, which includes new emojis, improved battery settings, and more.
But in addition to talking about the features that come with macOS 26.4, it’s also important to address the features that don’t. Some of the key features of iOS 26.4 are simply not available in the latest beta of macOS. For example, redesigned playlists and albums (some of the new iOS 26.4 features coming to Apple Music) are not included in this macOS release, nor is the Upcoming Concerts tab. Apple Podcasts also doesn’t add the new video experience seen on iOS, which enables HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology for high-quality video streaming. While these features could be included in a future software update, as they stand they represent a growing divide between Apple’s platforms.
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New emojis will be launched soon
An iPhone with the new emoji with distorted faces: José Adorno/BGR
Apple has a habit of introducing new emojis with x.4 versions of its operating systems. In the company’s current round of beta testing, new emojis have become available with iOS 26.4 beta 4, as well as the equivalent versions of Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro firmware. For compatibility reasons, Apple follows the Unicode Consortium’s recommendations when introducing new emojis. The nonprofit will first introduce a preview of the emojis it plans to add to the latest standard (in this case, v17.0), after which companies like Apple, Google and Samsung can start adopting them.
In recent years, the number of digits added has decreased dramatically. With iOS 26.4 (and macOS Tahoe 26.4), there are eight new figures, in addition to skin tone modifiers for wrestling people and bunny-eared dancers. Among the new options, the new distorted face (pictured above) seems to be perhaps the most popular emoji of this era. With iOS 18.4 and iOS 17.4, Apple had fewer than ten new digits each, but three years ago, with iOS 16.4, the company added 31 new emojis. Despite Apple’s push for Genmoji, emojis remain the default way most people communicate emotions, so new additions are welcome, even if they are increasingly few and far between.
The battery charge limit is coming to Mac
Screenshot highlights the new battery charge limit setting on macOS Tahoe 26.4 – José Adorno/BGR
Over the years, Apple has expanded the Charge Limit feature from iPhones to iPads, Apple Watches, and even AirPods models. This allows users to select a percentage at which their device will stop charging, which can reduce battery aging and keep devices feeling new for longer. With macOS 26.4, Apple extends this feature to the Mac.
In System Settings under Battery, users can choose from options between 80% and 100% to improve battery aging. Since Apple Silicon Macs offer top-notch power efficiency, users should still be able to spend hours surfing the web, working on their projects, and more, even with Charge Limit set to the lowest option. If you prevent the device from charging all the way to 100%, the battery should last longer before needing to be replaced.
The new Charge Limit feature is not to be confused with the existing Optimized Battery Charging option on Macs, which has been around since macOS Big Sur. This option allows your Mac to learn from your daily charging routine so it can wait until you normally need to use the device on battery power before charging the battery beyond 80%. That said, new ways to make your appliances last longer are always good to have.
Freeform is now part of the Apple Creator Studio bundle
Screenshot shows what’s new with Freeform in Apple Creator Studio – José Adorno/BGR
While macOS 26.4 doesn’t add the additional Apple Music and Apple Podcasts features that iOS 26.4 brought, it does deliver what Apple promised when it introduced the Apple Creator Studio Bundle. This release also brings exclusive features to Freeform users.
Apple Creator Studio, released in January 2026, includes several creativity apps in one subscription as the company continues to focus on its services for businesses. For $12.99 per month or $129 per year, users get access to Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion Compressor, MainStage, Keynote, Pages, and Numbers, with a few exclusive features that the regular versions of these apps don’t offer. Starting with macOS 26.4, Apple now also includes Freeform in the deal.
This collaborative digital whiteboard app was released in December 2022 alongside iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, and macOS Ventura 13.1. It is similar to Figma in that it allows you to add text, drawings, images, files, links and more to an infinite canvas. According to Apple, users with a Creator Studio subscription can unlock new intelligent features, including advanced image creation and editing tools, such as the ability to create new images, upscale low-resolution content, and generate crop suggestions. An Apple Creator Studio subscription also unlocks premium content from a curated library of images and graphics, and gets a boost from Apple’s other creativity apps by connecting Pixelmator Pro, Final Cut Pro, and Logic Pro to Freeform. In addition, users will also get a new app icon that is exclusive to Creator Studio subscribers.
Safari’s compact tab bar is making a comeback
Screenshot from macOS 26.4 shows the addition of Compact tabs for Safari – José Adorno/BGR
With the release of macOS Tahoe, Apple removed the Compact tab bar setting from Safari. Interestingly, the company also removed several features from iPadOS 26.2 after introducing the updated Liquid Glass design to that platform, eventually bringing them back with subsequent software updates. Now Apple is doing the same with macOS Tahoe 26.4 as it re-adds the compact tab layout for users.
As noted by 9to5Mac, this feature is now available to beta testers of macOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4. The main difference between the classic look and the compact look is that all pages are on the same row, while the classic look displays them below the search bar. The company continues to offer Safari users options that suit how they prefer to surf the web.
Unlike other major software updates, macOS Tahoe only brought a few updates to Safari. These include comprehensive privacy protections with Advanced Fingerprinting Protection and Safari Web Extension Packager, which improve the way developers upload an extension to App Store Connect to have it converted and packaged for release.
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