<p>We prove necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of non-trivial Steenrod actions on the mod-2 cohomology of 4-dimensional toric orbifolds. As applications, the stable homotopy type and the gauge groups of a 4-dimensional toric orbifold are determined, a partial solution to the cohomological rigidity problem for 4-dimensional toric orbifolds is provided, and, in the smooth case, a combinatorial criterion is established for when the toric orbifold is spin.</p>