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Release appearance

iOS 4.0 Public

Full article
Public release

Recorded context

About this appearance

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

Date
Jun 21, 2010
Availability
available
Revision
No

Release notes

What changed

Original editorial synthesis. Linked references appear with the claims they support and in the source ledger.

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. About the security content of iOS 4

    Apple Support · 2026-07-30 · Application Sandbox — CVE-2010-1751

  7. Apple Previews iPhone OS 4

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2010-04-08T00:00:00.000Z · Enterprise features and Data Protection

  8. About the security content of iOS 4

    Apple Support · 2026-07-30 · Find My iPhone — CVE-2010-1776

  9. Apple Presents iPhone 4

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2010-06-07T00:00:00.000Z · Folders and wallpaper

  10. Apple Previews iPhone OS 4

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2010-04-08T00:00:00.000Z · Folders

  11. Apple Previews iPhone OS 4

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2010-04-08T00:00:00.000Z · iAd

  12. Apple Presents iPhone 4

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2010-06-07T00:00:00.000Z · iBooks and PDF support

  13. Apple Previews iPhone OS 4

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2010-04-08T00:00:00.000Z · iBooks

  14. About the security content of iOS 4

    Apple Support · 2026-07-30 · ImageIO entries

  15. Apple Presents iPhone 4

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2010-06-07T00:00:00.000Z · iOS 4 multitasking

  16. Apple Previews iPhone OS 4

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2010-04-08T00:00:00.000Z · Mail

  17. Apple Previews iPhone OS 4

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2010-04-08T00:00:00.000Z · Multitasking services and device qualification

  18. About the security content of iOS 4

    Apple Support · 2026-07-30 · Passcode Lock — CVE-2010-1754 and CVE-2010-1775

  19. Apple Previews iPhone OS 4

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

  20. About the security content of iOS 4

    Apple Support · 2026-07-30 · Safari entries

  21. About the security content of iOS 4

    Apple Support · 2026-07-30 · WebKit entries

Release changes

Changed in this release

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

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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

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