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Release record

iOS 4.0

Full article
Public release
Recorded milestones
6
Beta cycle
74d
Average interval
15d
Public release
Jun 21, 2010

Release notes

Overview

Editorial synthesis with inline references and a source ledger when citations are available.

iOS 4 established several interaction patterns that would persist across later releases: eligible devices gained third-party multitasking services and fast app switching, users could group apps into folders, and Mail added a unified inbox, quick account switching, threaded conversations, and compatible-app attachment handling.[1][2]

The release also brought iBooks to iPhone and iPod touch, introduced iAd, and expanded enterprise deployment, management, data protection, passcode, Exchange, and VPN capabilities. Apple’s security bulletin separately records repairs across privacy boundaries, device locking, media parsers, Safari, and WebKit.[3][4][5]

Source ledger

References

Sources are linked to the claims they support. Publication and access dates are shown when available.

  1. Apple Presents iPhone 4

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2010-06-07T00:00:00.000Z · iOS 4 features and June 21 availability

    Back to text ↑
  2. Apple Previews iPhone OS 4

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2010-04-08T00:00:00.000Z · Multitasking, Folders, and Mail

    Back to text ↑
  3. Apple Previews iPhone OS 4

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2010-04-08T00:00:00.000Z · iBooks, iAd, and enterprise features

    Back to text ↑
  4. Apple security updates (2010)

    Apple Support · 2026-07-30 · iOS 4 — 21 June 2010

    Back to text ↑
  5. About the security content of iOS 4

    Apple Support · 2026-07-30 · iOS 4 security content

    Back to text ↑
  6. Apple Previews iPhone OS 4

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2010-04-08T00:00:00.000Z · Principal iPhone OS 4 features

Documented & observed

Changes in this version

Source-linked features, fixes, known issues, removals, and community-observed behavior recorded across this version’s appearances and verified builds.

Release changes

Changed in this release

Features, fixes, removals, and regressions first observed in this release record.

feature · introduced

Mobile device management became extensible

documentedconfirmed

Beta 1 documents this Enterprise capability, behavior, resolution, or limitation within the bounded evidence described for the route.

Recorded at Beta 1

  1. [1] Apple Previews iPhone OS 4 · Mobile Device Management

feature · introduced

Folders organized applications

documentedconfirmed

Beta 1 documents this Home Screen capability, behavior, resolution, or limitation within the bounded evidence described for the route.

Recorded at Beta 1

  1. [1] Apple Previews iPhone OS 4 · Folders

feature · introduced

iBooks expanded to iPhone and iPod touch

documentedconfirmed

Beta 1 documents this iBooks capability, behavior, resolution, or limitation within the bounded evidence described for the route.

Recorded at Beta 1

  1. [1] Apple Previews iPhone OS 4 · iBooks

feature · introduced

Mail attachments could open in compatible applications

documentedconfirmed

Beta 1 documents this Mail capability, behavior, resolution, or limitation within the bounded evidence described for the route.

Recorded at Beta 1

  1. [1] Apple Previews iPhone OS 4 · open email attachments

security · introduced

Passcode-backed data protection expanded

documentedconfirmed

Beta 1 documents this Enterprise capability, behavior, resolution, or limitation within the bounded evidence described for the route.

Recorded at Beta 1

  1. [1] Apple Previews iPhone OS 4 · Data Protection

compatibility · changed

Exchange account support broadened

documentedconfirmed

Beta 1 documents this Enterprise capability, behavior, resolution, or limitation within the bounded evidence described for the route.

Recorded at Beta 1

  1. [1] Apple Previews iPhone OS 4 · Exchange ActiveSync

feature · introduced

Enterprises gained wireless in-house app distribution

documentedconfirmed

Beta 1 documents this Enterprise capability, behavior, resolution, or limitation within the bounded evidence described for the route.

Recorded at Beta 1

  1. [1] Apple Previews iPhone OS 4 · wireless app distribution

feature · introduced

Mail combined inboxes and conversations

documentedconfirmed

Beta 1 documents this Mail capability, behavior, resolution, or limitation within the bounded evidence described for the route.

Recorded at Beta 1

  1. [1] Apple Previews iPhone OS 4 · Unified Inbox and threaded messages

security · introduced

Longer and more complex passcodes were supported

documentedconfirmed

Beta 1 documents this Enterprise capability, behavior, resolution, or limitation within the bounded evidence described for the route.

Recorded at Beta 1

  1. [1] Apple Previews iPhone OS 4 · complex passcode

compatibility · introduced

SSL VPN application support was announced

documentedconfirmed

Beta 1 documents this Enterprise capability, behavior, resolution, or limitation within the bounded evidence described for the route.

Recorded at Beta 1

  1. [1] Apple Previews iPhone OS 4 · SSL VPN

feature · introduced

The app switcher gained an orientation lock

undocumentedcorroborated

Contemporaneous reporting places this Multitasking interface observation at Beta 3; it remains separately labeled because it is outside an Apple-hosted milestone note.

Recorded at Beta 3

  1. [1] Latest iPhone OS 4 Beta Gains Orientation Lock and iPod Controls in Multitasking Interface · orientation lock in multitasking interface
  2. [2] iPhone OS 4 beta 3 adds orientation lock, iPod controls to multitasking bar · orientation lock

enhancement · introduced

Photo Roll supported alternate orientations

undocumentedreported

Contemporaneous reporting places this Photos observation at Beta 4; it remains separately labeled because it is outside an Apple-hosted milestone note.

Recorded at Beta 4

  1. [1] Here’s What’s New In iPhone OS 4.0 Beta 4 · Photo Roll; different orientation

security · fixed

Passcode lock-state protections

documentedconfirmed

Apple corrected a remote-lock state that could leave a passcode pre-entered and a short boot-time race that could permit computer pairing after an earlier unlocked shutdown.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About the security content of iOS 4 · Passcode Lock — CVE-2010-1754 and CVE-2010-1775

feature · introduced

Folders and home-screen customization

documentedconfirmed

Dragging one app onto another created an automatically named, editable folder, while wallpaper selection expanded from the lock screen to the home screen.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] Apple Presents iPhone 4 · Folders and wallpaper
  2. [2] Apple Previews iPhone OS 4 · Folders

security · fixed

Image parser memory safety

documentedconfirmed

The bulletin documents both possible memory disclosure and potential code execution when processing malicious image files; the release added initialization, validation, memory handling, and bounds checks.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About the security content of iOS 4 · ImageIO entries

security · fixed

WebKit origin and memory-safety repairs

documentedconfirmed

Apple’s bulletin describes a large browser repair set spanning cross-origin requests, malformed and encoded content, redirects, DOM and layout operations, and crafted pages that could terminate the browser or execute code.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About the security content of iOS 4 · WebKit entries

feature · introduced

Third-party multitasking services

documentedconfirmed

Apple exposed seven multitasking services, including background audio and VoIP handling, while describing battery life and foreground performance as design constraints; hardware eligibility varied.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] Apple Presents iPhone 4 · iOS 4 multitasking
  2. [2] Apple Previews iPhone OS 4 · Multitasking services and device qualification

feature · introduced

iBooks on iPhone and iPod touch

documentedconfirmed

The free iBooks app synchronized reading position, bookmarks, highlights, and notes for the same book and could store and display PDFs.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] Apple Presents iPhone 4 · iBooks and PDF support
  2. [2] Apple Previews iPhone OS 4 · iBooks

enhancement · changed

Unified and threaded Mail

documentedconfirmed

Multiple accounts could be viewed together or switched quickly, related messages could be grouped by conversation, and attachments could open in supporting App Store apps.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] Apple Previews iPhone OS 4 · Mail

security · fixed

Photo-library location privacy boundary

documentedconfirmed

Apple changed sandbox access so an application could not bypass location permission by directly examining geotagged photo-library data.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About the security content of iOS 4 · Application Sandbox — CVE-2010-1751

developerApi · introduced

iAd application advertising platform

documentedconfirmed

Developers could embed iAd placements whose interactive or video presentation remained inside the host app, with Apple responsible for serving the advertisements.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] Apple Previews iPhone OS 4 · iAd

security · fixed

Find My iPhone disabled-service enforcement

documentedconfirmed

The prior state could leave destructive remote actions available to someone with the MobileMe password even when device location was disabled; the update aligned those controls.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About the security content of iOS 4 · Find My iPhone — CVE-2010-1776

security · fixed

Safari cookie and URL trust cues

documentedconfirmed

The changes enforced updated cookie settings without waiting for restart, warned before visiting URLs containing embedded credentials, and corrected the address shown with certificate warnings after redirects.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About the security content of iOS 4 · Safari entries

enhancement · changed

Expanded enterprise management and protection

documentedconfirmed

Administrators gained remote configuration, query, lock, and wipe integration; enterprises could distribute internal apps wirelessly; and the release added passcode-based protection, complex passcodes, multiple Exchange accounts, Exchange 2010, and forthcoming SSL VPN support.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] Apple Previews iPhone OS 4 · Enterprise features and Data Protection

Release changes

Cumulative context

Broader context included for understanding, not claimed as new in this release.

Milestones

Release history

Every recorded channel appearance in chronological order. Open an appearance for any available build, scope, notes, and sources.

  1. Developer beta

    Beta 1

    Full articleEditorially verified

    Beta 1 is a sourced historical archive page with 20 structured records and an explicit account of the evidence limits that shape its coverage.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    35 linked
    Open this appearance
  2. +12 days

    Developer beta

    Beta 2

    Full articleEditorially verified

    Beta 2 is a sourced historical archive page with 20 structured records and an explicit account of the evidence limits that shape its coverage.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    25 linked
    Open this appearance
  3. +14 days

    Developer beta

    Beta 3

    Full articleEditorially verified

    Beta 3 is a sourced historical archive page with 14 structured records and an explicit account of the evidence limits that shape its coverage.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    26 linked
    Open this appearance
  4. +14 days

    Developer beta

    Beta 4

    Full articleEditorially verified

    Beta 4 is a sourced historical archive page with 14 structured records and an explicit account of the evidence limits that shape its coverage.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    24 linked
    Open this appearance
  5. +20 days

    Golden master

    GM

    Full articleEditorially verified

    GM is a sourced historical archive page with 3 structured records and an explicit account of the evidence limits that shape its coverage.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    15 linked
    Open this appearance
  6. +14 days

    Public release

    Public

    Full articleEditorially verified

    The public iOS 4 release introduced multitasking services, folders, a reorganized Mail experience, iBooks, expanded enterprise controls, iAd, and a broad security repair set.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    21 linked
    Open this appearance

Historical context

Cycle comparison

Pace, intervals, and duration compared with earlier releases on the same platform.

Historical avg for major releases

103 days, 10.3 milestones

Based on 17 previous iOS .0 releases

Cycle vs. platform average

74d (avg: 58d)

16 days longer than the iOS average

Longest gap in this cycle

20 days

Between Beta 4 and GM

Previous .0 releases (iOS)

Previous comparable iOS releases
VersionYearCycleMilestonesAvg. Interval
iOS 26.0202598d158d
iOS 18.0202498d129d
iOS 17.02023105d139d
iOS 16.0202298d1210d
iOS 15.02021105d1211d
iOS 14.0202086d1010d

Scroll horizontally to compare every historical field.

Official release notes