Apple’s iOS 18.4 Update: What’s New and Improved
Apple’s latest iOS 18.4 update brings a range of new and improved features to your iPhone and iPad. The star of the show may be priority notifications and expanded Apple Intelligence, which has been receiving criticism. However, Apple remains focused on improving its reach and capabilities.
1. Priority Notifications
Apple Intelligence will now display urgent or important notifications in a separate section on the Lock screen, making it easier to see what you may have missed. To view all your notifications, simply swipe up on the screen. To control this feature, head to Settings and select Notifications. From there, you can turn it on or off and choose which apps you want included.
2. EU gets Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence has added support for French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, and localized English for India and Singapore. iPhone users across the EU will now have access to Apple Intelligence for the first time, making the AI available in many major languages and regions around the world.
3. Visual Intelligence via Action Button
Visual Intelligence is another AI-powered skill that’s reaching more iPhone users. Serving up information on the objects you view through the camera, this capability was previously available only on the iPhone 16 lineup through the Camera control. Now, it’s accessible via the Action button, making it available to iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, and iPhone 16e users.
4. Additional AI Changes
The update adds a couple of other AI-based changes. The Image Playground app now offers a Sketch style along with the Animation and Illustration styles. Plus, Apple has added the word "Genmoj" to the Genmoji icon on the keyboard, so you can better identify it.
5. Photos App Update
The Photos app is another area that’s seen an update. You can now show or hide photos that aren’t in an album or synced from your computer. You can reorder the different categories in the Media Types and Utilities collections. Sorting your photos by oldest or newest first is now consistent across all collections. Plus, you can choose not to display recently viewed and recently shared photos.
6. Apple News+ Recipe Directions
Foodies who subscribe to Apple News+ will find a few new items. The app now provides recipes and step-by-step directions for preparing tasty meals. The new recipe catalog helps you find and save your favorite recipes. A food section adds news and information about restaurants, healthy eating, and more.
7. Vision Pro Upgrades
Vision Pro users now have their own dedicated iOS app to download apps, find tips, set up a guest mode, and otherwise manage the headset.
8. Control Panel Options
A new Ambient Music option in Control Panel lets you choose different sound categories such as Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing. Also in Control Panel is a new Apple Intelligence section with three options: Talk to Siri, Type to Siri, and Visual Intelligence.
9. Podcast App Widgets
Users of the Podcasts app will find a couple of new widgets. The Library widget displays all saved episodes from your library, while the Shows widget will show you all the episodes from a specific show. CarPlay will now reveal an extra row of icons on the screen if your display is large enough. Subscribers of Google Fi and certain T-Mobile MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) will now be able to use RCS in their text conversations with Android users.
10. Security Patches
Aside from these and other enhancements, iOS 18.4 also carries with it a host of security patches, more than 60 in total. The patches fix bugs in such apps and features as Calendar, Focus mode, Journal, Maps, Photos, Safari, and Siri.
Other Apple Software Updates
As usual, iOS was not the only recipient of another key update. Apple also rolled out updates for iPadOS, WatchOS, MacOS, VisionOS, and TVOS. Some of these received many of the same new and improved features that reached iOS, but there are some unique items here and there.
Conclusion
The latest iOS 18.4 update brings a range of exciting new features and improvements to your iPhone and iPad. From priority notifications and expanded Apple Intelligence to the Photos app update and more, there’s something for everyone. Make sure to download the update to get the most out of your device.
FAQs
Q: What’s new in the iOS 18.4 update?
A: The update brings priority notifications, expanded Apple Intelligence, and a range of other new and improved features.
Q: How do I control priority notifications?
A: Head to Settings and select Notifications to control priority notifications.
Q: Is Apple Intelligence available in my region?
A: Apple Intelligence is now available in many major languages and regions around the world, including the EU.
Q: What’s new in the Photos app?
A: The Photos app now offers a range of new features, including the ability to show or hide photos, reorder categories, and sort photos by oldest or newest first.
Q: What’s new in Apple News+?
A: Apple News+ now provides recipes and step-by-step directions for preparing tasty meals, as well as a food section with news and information about restaurants, healthy eating, and more.
