Apple has released the second developer betas of watchOS 26.4, tvOS 26.4, and visionOS 26.4, continuing its current testing cycle across wearables, home entertainment, and spatial computing platforms. The updates arrive one week after the first beta seeds and are available through the Settings app on supported devices. As with prior releases, the visionOS beta is limited to registered developers.
In watchOS 26.4 beta 2, Apple is expanding sleep tracking with a new Average Bedtime metric. The feature integrates with the Health app, offering users a broader view of sleep patterns over time rather than focusing solely on duration or sleep stages. By tracking consistent bedtime habits, Apple appears to be leaning further into behavioral insights rather than just biometric data. For users who rely on Apple Watch for health monitoring, incremental additions like this continue to position watchOS as a central node in Apple’s health ecosystem.
tvOS 26.4 beta 2 introduces more visible structural changes. Apple has removed the standalone iTunes Movies and iTunes TV Shows apps from Apple TV, continuing its gradual consolidation of media services under the unified Apple TV app. This shift simplifies navigation but also marks the end of legacy branding that dates back more than a decade. The update also adds a Continuous Audio Connection option for HDMI output, which could improve audio stability for users with home theater setups or external receivers.
On the spatial computing side, visionOS 26.4 beta 2 adds support for foveated streaming in apps and games. Foveated streaming delivers higher visual fidelity to the area where the user is actively looking, while compressing peripheral regions to reduce bandwidth and processing demands. This approach is particularly relevant for devices like Apple Vision Pro, where performance efficiency directly affects immersion and battery life. Developers building high-resolution experiences may benefit from more stable frame rates and lower latency as a result.
As with any developer beta, Apple advises against installing pre-release software on primary devices. Early builds can introduce instability, reduced battery performance, or compatibility issues with third-party apps. The watchOS 26.4, tvOS 26.4, and visionOS 26.4 updates are still in active development, and additional features or refinements may surface before public release.
Taken together, the second wave of 26.4 betas suggests Apple is focusing on incremental system improvements rather than headline features. Sleep metrics on Apple Watch, media consolidation on Apple TV, and streaming optimizations on Vision Pro each reflect targeted refinements within their respective platforms. Developers will continue testing these changes ahead of a broader rollout later this year.
