Apple has officially rolled out the first beta of iOS 18.4 for developers, and while the much-anticipated Apple Intelligence features are still missing, there’s no shortage of exciting new additions. From smarter notifications to creative tools and enhanced customization, iOS 18.4 lays the groundwork for a more intuitive and seamless experience. Let’s dive deep into what this update brings to the table.
📲 Priority Notifications Powered by Apple Intelligence
One of the standout features in iOS 18.4 is Priority Notifications — a new way to keep your most important alerts front and center. Powered by Apple Intelligence, this feature curates a list of critical notifications, ensuring you never miss what truly matters.
- How to enable Priority Notifications:
- Navigate to Settings → Notifications → Prioritize Notifications
- Toggle the feature on
- When enabled, essential notifications will appear in a special section on your Lock Screen.
This AI-powered system learns from your habits, prioritizing messages from key contacts, urgent calendar reminders, and critical app alerts. Though it’s disabled by default, it’s a powerful tool for cutting through the digital noise.
🎨 Image Playground: Now with Sketch Style
Creative expression gets a boost with iOS 18.4’s Image Playground. In addition to Animation and Illustration styles, Apple has added a new Sketch style, previously exclusive to Image Wand.
- To switch styles, simply tap the + button within the Image Playground app.
- Apple has also refreshed its seasonal themes, replacing Winter Holidays with a Spring theme, perfectly timed for the new season.
Whether you’re crafting social media graphics or adding flair to a note, this intuitive tool makes design accessible and fun.
🌍 Expanded Language Support for Apple Intelligence
Apple is making a push for inclusivity by expanding Apple Intelligence’s language capabilities. With iOS 18.4, the following languages are supported:
- French
- German
- Italian
- Portuguese (Brazil)
- Spanish
- Japanese
- Korean
- Chinese (Simplified)
- Localized English for Singapore and India
This multilingual expansion opens the door for more users worldwide to tap into Apple Intelligence’s capabilities, making AI-powered interactions more natural and effective.
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🍽️ Apple News+ Food Section
Food lovers, rejoice! iOS 18.4 introduces a dedicated Apple News+ Food section, exclusively for Apple News+ subscribers. This section offers:
- Tens of thousands of recipes
- Stories about renowned restaurants
- Tips for healthy eating
- Kitchen essentials guides
Top food publishers like Allrecipes, Bon Appétit, and Food & Wine contribute content, while a curated Recipe Catalog lets you save favorites for offline access. There’s also a Cook Mode that provides step-by-step recipe instructions — a true kitchen companion.
🎶 Ambient Music for Every Mood
For those who love background soundscapes, iOS 18.4 adds Ambient Music to Control Center. With four sound categories — Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing — you can set the perfect atmosphere with a simple tap.
- You can’t manually pick songs within Control Center, but tapping into the Dynamic Island or Now Playing widget lets you skip tracks or see what’s playing.
📧 Mail Categorization on iPadOS 18.4
Although not an iPhone-exclusive feature, iPadOS 18.4 introduces Mail Categorization — a long-awaited organizational upgrade:
- Primary: Important emails
- Orders: Purchase confirmations
- Newsletters: Subscriptions and updates
- Deals: Promotions and discounts
- Social: Social media notifications
This feature first appeared on the iPhone with iOS 18.2 but now brings better inbox management to iPads.
🔒 Privacy Enhancements: Indicator Dots
Privacy takes a small but noticeable leap forward in iOS 18.4. The indicator dots for camera and microphone usage have been relocated to the left side of the status bar and are now more prominent, set against a black background. This subtle shift makes it easier to spot when apps are accessing your hardware.
🗣️ Siri Gets Two New Australian Voices
Siri’s getting a bit more personality with two new Australian voices. Whether you prefer a male or female voice, Apple continues expanding Siri’s global soundscape, allowing users to personalize their voice assistant experience.
🗺️ Apple Maps Adds Preferred Language Settings
With iOS 18.4, Apple Maps now lets you choose a Preferred Language directly within the Settings app. This feature benefits multilingual users who want map labels and directions in their language of choice.
🎙️ Podcasts Widget Upgrades
Podcast fans now have more control over their content with new Library and Shows widgets for the Home Screen. These widgets allow you to:
- Quickly access saved episodes
- See shows you’re subscribed to
In the Podcasts app, tapping your profile picture reveals new options for Podcasts Settings and Notification Settings.
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📲 Small but Noteworthy Additions
- Cellular Control Center Toggle: Now shows signal strength bars.
- Shortcuts Actions: Added a new action to open specific conversations in Messages.
- CarPlay: Some users now see three rows of icons on the Home Screen.
- Default Apps: In the EU, you can now set alternative Translation and Navigation apps as defaults.
- Notification Center: Improved animation when swiping out.
- Wi-Fi Calling Issue: US Cellular customers may face issues — Apple recommends reverting to iOS 18.3 if needed.
📅 iOS 18.4 Release Date
Apple plans to publicly release iOS 18.4 in April 2025. More updates, like the Vision Pro app and new emoji (think fingerprint, harp, and root vegetable), are expected in future betas.
🔚 iOS 18.4: Conclusion
Though iOS 18.4 doesn’t bring the full might of Apple Intelligence just yet, its focus on personalization, creativity, and accessibility signals Apple’s steady march toward smarter, more user-friendly devices. With new AI-driven tools, expanded language support, and thoughtful app updates, this release offers something for everyone.
Are you excited to try out these new features? Let us know what you’re most looking forward to when iOS 18.4 officially drops!
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