iOS 10 Beta 4 Tidbits: Redesigned Emoji and New Emoji Characters, Revamped Keyboard Sounds, and More

Apple released iOS 10 beta 4 to developers today and as with any major beta update, it includes several small changes and tweaks as Apple aims to refine the operating system ahead of its public release this fall.

Today's update, available as an over-the-air download for those who installed the first three betas or the beta configuration profile, features new emoji, new keyboard sounds, Notification Center tweaks, and more.

We've rounded up all of the new features in beta four in the video below, so make sure to check it out to get a quick look at what's changed. We're also listing all of the changes in the post below.


Emoji - There are new emoji designed to promote gender equality. Many professions and activity emoji are now available in both male or female options. Emoji have a new texture and many emoji have seen slight design tweaks.

emoji2

New emoji textures. Old emoji on left, new emoji on right.

Control Center - There's an intro screen when opening Control Center for the first time that instructs people to swipe left to access the different Control Center cards.

controlcenteropeningscreen
Haptic feedback - In iOS beta 3, Apple added haptic feedback when pressing the power button on the iPhone to lock it. In beta 4, this feature has been removed. There's no longer a haptic feedback buzz when locking an iPhone.

Accessibility - In the Accessibility section of the Settings app, the Color Filters option includes a set of colored pencils to show off the different color options instead of a color grid. This gives a better idea of how each setting is actually displayed on an iOS device.

Notification Center - The widgets screen, accessible by swiping to the right in the Notification Center, now displays the date. In previous versions of iOS 10, the date was not available.

notificationcenterdate
Home - In the Control Center, the Home app icons have been tweaked again.

controlcenterhome
Keyboard sounds - Keyboard sounds have been slightly tweaked. Backspace now has a distinctive sounds unique from other key press sounds, and there's a new sound for space, return, shift, and number/emoji shift.

Wallpaper - Some older wallpaper options have been removed and the mountain wallpaper with stars from an earlier version of iOS has been re-added.

Related Forum: iOS 10

Popular Stories

Apple Announces Special Event in New York Feature

Apple Announces Special Event in New York, London, and Shanghai on March 4

Monday February 16, 2026 6:05 am PST by
Apple today announced a "special Apple Experience" in New York, London, and Shanghai, taking place on March 4, 2026 at 9:00am ET. Apple invited select members of the media to the event in three major cities around the world. It is simply described as a "special Apple Experience," and there is no further information about what it may entail. The invitation features a 3D Apple logo design...
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Aiming to Release 'Breakthrough' New iPhone Accessory

Wednesday February 18, 2026 12:43 pm PST by
Apple is looking for a "breakthrough" with its push into wearable AI devices, including an "AirTag-sized pendant," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the pendant is reminiscent of the failed Humane AI Pin, but it would be an iPhone accessory rather than a standalone product. The pendant would feature an "always-on" camera and a microphone for Siri voice...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

iOS 26.4's New CarPlay Video Feature Shown in Action

Wednesday February 18, 2026 9:29 am PST by
Back at WWDC 2025, Apple revealed that it was planning to allow CarPlay users to watch video via AirPlay in their vehicles while they are not driving, and the first beta of iOS 26.4 suggests the feature may be nearing availability. There are several new references to CarPlay video streaming functionality within the iOS 26.4 beta's source code. The feature is not yet visible to users, but...
iphone 17 pro green

iPhone 17 Pro Max Curiously Becomes Most Traded-In Smartphone

Wednesday February 18, 2026 9:13 am PST by
New trade-in data indicates that Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max has rapidly become the single most traded-in smartphone. According to a new report from SellCell, Apple's latest flagship iPhone has quickly risen to the top of the independent trade-in market, accounting for 11.5% of all devices appearing in the top-20 trade-in rankings just months after release. The analysis is based on SellCell...
Apple Announces Special Event in New York Feature 1

Apple Event on March 4: Here's What to Expect

Tuesday February 17, 2026 8:08 am PST by
Apple on Monday invited selected journalists and content creators to a "special Apple Experience" on Wednesday, March 4 in New York, London, and Shanghai. At an Apple Experience, attendees are typically given the opportunity to try out Apple's latest hardware or software. Following the launch of Apple Creator Studio last month, for example, some content creators attended an Apple Experience...

Top Rated Comments

125 months ago
I am really sick of the focus that emojis get, yet applications like mail, calendar or file/attachment management, facetime are so lackluster.
Emojis and watch bands...welcome to the new Apple.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alecgold Avatar
125 months ago
Ill miss the feedback when locking. Found it really useful.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MartinAppleGuy Avatar
125 months ago
Forgetting the biggest improvement of all; super fast animations.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
125 months ago
It seems like nothing else at all happened aside from emojis being update. Nothing at all.
That's Apple today. They spend more time on fixing the gender equality of emojis than on the design and usability of their software. If they spent half as much time working on music app as they've spent on emojis, it wouldn't still be a steaming pile of poo.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
125 months ago
I am really sick of the focus that emojis get, yet applications like mail, calendar or file/attachment management, facetime are so lackluster.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrismail627 Avatar
125 months ago
I know it's been said before, but these 2 minute update videos are great. Nice job MacRumors.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)