The iOS 18.4 update is now available for iPhone users globally. This release introduces new Apple Intelligence features, enhancements to Apple News, additional emoji, updates to CarPlay, and much more. Continue reading to discover all the new features included in iOS 18.4.
Details of iOS 18.4
To update your iPhone to iOS 18.4, navigate to the Settings app, select General, then tap on Software Update. The update is compatible with all iPhone models supporting iOS 18.4. However, the new Apple Intelligence features are exclusively available on iPhone 16 models, the iPhone 15 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The rollout of this update to iPhone users is ongoing. It may take several hours before it reaches your device, so keep checking throughout the day.
New Features within iOS 18.4
Apple Intelligence (Available on all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max)
- Priority notifications now appear at the top of your notification list, highlighting critical alerts that may need immediate attention.
- The Image Playground introduces a new style option, Sketch, allowing you to create stunning sketch-like drawings.
- Apple Intelligence now supports eight additional languages and two more English locales, including English (India, Singapore), French (France, Canada), German (Germany), Italian (Italy), Japanese (Japan), Korean (South Korea), Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, and Spanish (Spain, Latin America, US).
Apple Vision Pro App
- The new Apple Vision Pro app is automatically installed for users with Apple Vision Pro, enabling exploration of new content and spatial experiences, while also providing quick access to device information.
Apple News+
- Apple News+ now features recipes from top culinary publishers around the globe.
- The Recipe Catalog allows browsing and searching to find ideal dishes, with an option to save them to your Saved Recipes.
- The Cooking mode simplifies following step-by-step instructions.
- The Food segment now encompasses articles on restaurants, kitchen tips, healthy eating, and much more.
Photos Enhancements
- New filters available for viewing or hiding items not found in an album or those synced from a Mac or PC in the Photos Library view.
- Users can now reorder items within the Media Types and Utilities collections in Photos.
- Consistent filtering options are introduced across all collections, allowing sorting by oldest or newest in Photos.
- Opt to sort albums based on Date Modified within Photos.
- Users can disable the “Recently Viewed” and “Recently Shared” collections in Photos Settings.
- Hidden photos will no longer be included for imports to Mac or PC if Face ID is activated in Photos settings.
This update also encompasses several enhancements and bug fixes:
- Safari’s recent search suggestions enable quick access to prior search topics when initiating a new query.
- The Setup Assistant simplifies steps for parents to create a Child Account for their children in the family, ensuring child-appropriate defaults if parents complete the setup later.
- Screen Time App Limits continue to apply even if a child uninstalls and reinstalls an app.
- The App Store now includes summaries of user reviews, providing quick insights from other users.
- Users can pause and resume app downloads or updates in the App Store without losing progress.
- New Podcast widgets available, including a Followed Shows widget for tracking favorite shows and a Library widget for accessing most used sections like Latest Episodes, Saved, and Downloaded.
- The Ambient Music feature now allows instant music playback through Control Center, presenting curated playlists for daily life.
- Apple Fitness+ Collections can now be added to your Library.
- Matter-compatible robotic vacuum cleaners can now be managed in the Home app as well as included in scenes and automations.
- Support for ten new system languages has been added, including Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
New Emoji
iOS 18.4 introduces seven new emoji for users:
- Face with bags under eyes
- Fingerprint
- Leafless tree
- Root vegetable
- Harp
- Shovel
- Splatter
CarPlay Enhancements
This update also brings several improvements to CarPlay. In vehicles with larger screens, the CarPlay Home Screen now displays three rows of app icons instead of the previous two. Additionally, Apple has introduced a new API for sports apps to showcase scores on a revamped Now Playing interface.
Moreover, iOS 18.4 allows users in the European Union to designate a default navigation app, applicable to both their iPhone and CarPlay.
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