The new iOS 18.4 beta is still missing an AI-overhauled Siri featuring on-screen awareness and app integrations, which Apple promised at WWDC in June. If you’re waiting for those features, you might want to try your luck with iOS 18.5. However, iOS 18.4 is not devoid of updates. This release will introduce Priority Notifications and expand Apple Intelligence to support more languages, which is beneficial for Apple users worldwide. Additionally, iOS 18.4 will make Apple Intelligence accessible in the European Union for the first time. Here’s a comprehensive list of what’s new in the next iOS update:
1. Priority Notifications: This feature uses on-device intelligence to highlight important notifications in a new Priority Notifications box above other alerts. It’s not enabled by default, so users need to navigate to Settings > Notifications > Prioritize Notifications to activate it. Starting with iOS 18.4 Beta 2, users can remove specific apps from Priority Notifications.
2. Sketch Style in Image Playground: A new style option called Sketch is available when creating images, giving them a paper-drawn appearance.
3. Visual Intelligence for iPhone 15 Pro Series: This feature allows real-time video assistance from Apple’s AI and can be mapped to the Action button.
4. Apple Intelligence in Control Center: A new Visual Intelligence control can be added to the Control Center. The Siri section has been renamed to Apple Intelligence & Siri, including controls for Talk to Siri and Type to Siri.
5. New Emojis: iOS 18.4 introduces seven new emojis, including Face with Bags Under Eyes, a fingerprint, a shovel, a harp, a leafless tree, a splatter, and the flag of Sark.
6. Ambient Music in Control Center: A new Ambient Music section is added with options for Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing playlists from Apple Music.
7. New Shortcuts Actions: Numerous new actions for the Shortcuts app, mainly for changing settings in Apple apps like Safari, Maps, and others.
8. Apple Intelligence in the EU: Available for EU users and supports languages such as French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and simplified Chinese. It also supports localized English for India and Singapore.
9. Recipes in News+ App: A new Apple News Food+ section offers recipes, stories, and restaurant reviews for subscribers.
10. Redesigned Mail App for iPad and Mac: Available with iPadOS 18.4 beta and macOS 15.4 beta, featuring email categories and AI enhancements.
11. Improved Genmoji Button: The Genmoji feature is now more visible with a labeled icon on the Emoji keyboard.
12. New Podcasts Widgets: Two new widgets for the Podcasts app: Library and Shows, allowing users to access saved episodes or highlight episodes from a single show.
13. More Default App Choices: Users can set different default apps for translation and navigation, with additional options for EU users.
14. CarPlay Changes: Some users may see a third row of app icons on the CarPlay Home screen, depending on their vehicle.
15. New Apple Vision Pro App: A companion app for the Apple Vision Pro is now available, allowing exploration and downloading of Vision Pro apps and content.
16. Other Small Changes:
– During device setup, users select an age range: Child (12 or younger), Teen (13 to 17), or Adult (18 or older) for parental control setup.
– A new List View option for rearranging Albums.
– A quick Delete All button in the Recently Deleted section of the Photos app.
– Plans to add support for NACS (North American Charging System) in Apple Maps EV route planning feature, based on iOS 18.4 code.