Apple's iOS 26.4 sees its Stolen Device Protection anti-theft feature turned on by default. Here's what you need to know.

Recently, it looked like a minor iPhone update was coming, but then it vanished without trace. Now, it’s just gone live.

OS 26.4 enables Stolen Device Protection by default, adding biometric verification and security delays to critical iPhone settings, alongside encrypted RCS and Podcasts video support.

Update February 23: The second beta of iOS 26.4 is out now for developers. It expands the testing environment for RCS encryption to include iPhone-to-Android messages.