Apple Expands AI Capabilities with iOS 18.4 Update, Introducing Priority Notifications and EU Support

Apple rolls out Priority Notifications as Apple Intelligence expands to EU | TechCrunch

Apple Intelligence, the iPhone maker's suite of AI-powered tools and features, is gaining new features. Most notably, the company on Monday announced that Apple device owners will now be able to take advantage of Priority Notifcations, which allows Apple's AI to highlight your most time-sensitive notifications in a new format. Other updates are coming to the Image Playground app and the Mac. Plus, Apple Intelligence is now available to iPhone and iPad users in the EU and on the Apple Vision Pro headset in U.S. English. The changes are rolling out with the release of Apple software, iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4. Apple notes that its AI features are also available in a number of new languages, including French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified). Localized English has also been added for both Singapore and India. Though Apple Intelligence was introduced at the company's Worldwide Developer Conference last year as its new generative AI offering, the reality is that Apple was not prepared to release all its AI-powered features at once. That's led to a slow and steady rollout of numerous AI updates since the release of iOS 18.1 where Apple Intelligence first went live. For instance, features like ChatGPT integration, Image Playground, and others didn't arrive until iOS 18.2 (and iPadOS 18.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2) months later. Among the new additions coming today, Priority Notifications may be the most useful if successfully implemented. Now, instead of having to dig for important updates across all your notifications -- which often include non-essential updates and other marketing messages from apps -- you'll be able to see those that deserve attention appear at the top of the stack. Other Apple Intelligence improvements arriving today include an ability to create a "memory movie" on Mac by typing a description, an added Sketch style in Apple's AI image generation app, Image Playground, for the creation of academic and detailed sketches. Apple had previously announced that its AI suite would arrive in the EU in April 2025 -- a delay Apple blamed on EU tech regulations, like the Digital Markets Act. Meanwhile, Vision Pro users will be able to use AI features like Writing Tools, Image Playground, Genmoji and more with the expansion of Apple Intelligence to the mixed reality platform. The update also includes a handful of new emojis, including a paint splatter, a face with bags under its eyes, a fingerprint, a root vegetable, and a shovel, among others. The recently announced recipe companion, Apple News+ Food, is arriving today, as well, alongside other tweaks to the revamped Apple Photos app and other Apple services.

What's new in iOS 18.4? AI priority notifications and 9 other big updates

Apple's iOS 18.4 update offers a variety of new and improved features, but the star of the show may be priority notifications and expanded Apple Intelligence. Although the company's AI-powered technology has received some criticism, Apple remains focused on improving its reach and capabilities. Here are the biggest changes coming to your iPhone and iPad, plus what's new in other software updates rolling out to Apple devices. First up: Apple Intelligence will now display urgent or important notifications in a separate section on the Lock screen, so that you can more easily 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 are able to turn it on or off and choose which apps you want included. Apple Intelligence has added support for French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, and localized English for India and Singapore. Also: Forget Siri: Apple Intelligence's true potential on iPad and Mac lies in third-party apps Even further, iPhone users across the EU will now have access to Apple Intelligence for the first time. This means that the AI will be available in many of the major languages and regions around the world. 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, which means that iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, and iPhone 16e users can take advantage of it. 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. There's more to the update beyond Apple Intelligence. The much-maligned Photos app is one example. Also: How to use the Photos app on your iPhone You can now show or hide photos that aren't in an album or synced from your computer. You are able to 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. Foodies who subscribe to Apple News+ will find a few new items. Also: Need a news app? Here are my top 5 across Android, Linux, and iOS 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. What else is there? 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. 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. Users of the Podcasts app will find a couple of new widgets. Also: Everything you need to start a podcast 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. 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. 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. Both iPadOS 18.4 and MacOS 15.4 now have the same AI-powered Apple Mail skills that were already available on the iPhone since iOS 18.2. This means you can view your inbox across different categories, such as Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. The Mail app also offers a digest view that will put all the emails from a single sender into one stack. Don't want these features? Don't worry, you can easily turn them off. For Apple Watch wearers, WatchOS 11.4 lets you use Siri to instruct a Matter-compatible robot vacuum to clean a specific room. Seven new emoji are available in the emoji keyboard. You are now able to set an alarm that can wake you up even if the watch is in silent mode. Finally, VisionOS 2.4 brings Apple Intelligence to the Vision Pro. You can now get help writing or revising emails and messages via Writing Tools, create custom images with Image Playground, and design your own Genmoji. A Smart Reply option in Mail and Messages offers suggestions for a quick response, while the Photos app lets you use natural language to find a specific photo.

What's new in iOS 18.4? AI priority notifications and 9 other big changes

Apple's iOS 18.4 update offers a variety of new and improved features, but the star of the show may be priority notifications and expanded Apple Intelligence. Although the company's AI-powered technology has received some criticism, Apple remains focused on improving its reach and capabilities. Here are the biggest changes coming to your iPhone and iPad, plus what's new in other software updates rolling out to Apple devices. First up: Apple Intelligence will now display urgent or important notifications in a separate section on the Lock screen, so that you can more easily 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 are able to turn it on or off and choose which apps you want included. Apple Intelligence has added support for French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, and localized English for India and Singapore. Also: Forget Siri: Apple Intelligence's true potential on iPad and Mac lies in third-party apps Even further, iPhone users across the EU will now have access to Apple Intelligence for the first time. This means that the AI will be available in many of the major languages and regions around the world. 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, which means that iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, and iPhone 16e users can take advantage of it. 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. There's more to the update beyond Apple Intelligence. The much-maligned Photos app is one example. Also: How to use the Photos app on your iPhone You can now show or hide photos that aren't in an album or synced from your computer. You are able to 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. Foodies who subscribe to Apple News+ will find a few new items. Also: Need a news app? Here are my top 5 across Android, Linux, and iOS 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. What else is there? 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. 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. Users of the Podcasts app will find a couple of new widgets. Also: Everything you need to start a podcast 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. 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. 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. Both iPadOS 18.4 and MacOS 15.4 now have the same AI-powered Apple Mail skills that were already available on the iPhone since iOS 18.2. This means you can view your inbox across different categories, such as Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. The Mail app also offers a digest view that will put all the emails from a single sender into one stack. Don't want these features? Don't worry, you can easily turn them off. For Apple Watch wearers, WatchOS 11.4 lets you use Siri to instruct a Matter-compatible robot vacuum to clean a specific room. Seven new emoji are available in the emoji keyboard. You are now able to set an alarm that can wake you up even if the watch is in silent mode. Finally, VisionOS 2.4 brings Apple Intelligence to the Vision Pro. You can now get help writing or revising emails and messages via Writing Tools, create custom images with Image Playground, and design your own Genmoji. A Smart Reply option in Mail and Messages offers suggestions for a quick response, while the Photos app lets you use natural language to find a specific photo.

What's new in iOS 18.4? AI priority notifications and 9 other big changes for your iPhone

Apple's iOS 18.4 update offers a variety of new and improved features, but the star of the show may be priority notifications and expanded Apple Intelligence. Although the company's AI-powered technology has received some criticism, Apple remains focused on improving its reach and capabilities. Here are the biggest changes coming to your iPhone and iPad, plus what's new in other software updates rolling out to Apple devices. First up: Apple Intelligence will now display urgent or important notifications in a separate section on the Lock screen, so that you can more easily 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 are able to turn it on or off and choose which apps you want included. Apple Intelligence has added support for French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, and localized English for India and Singapore. Also: Forget Siri: Apple Intelligence's true potential on iPad and Mac lies in third-party apps Even further, iPhone users across the EU will now have access to Apple Intelligence for the first time. This means that the AI will be available in many of the major languages and regions around the world. 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, which means that iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, and iPhone 16e users can take advantage of it. 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. There's more to the update beyond Apple Intelligence. The much-maligned Photos app is one example. Also: How to use the Photos app on your iPhone You can now show or hide photos that aren't in an album or synced from your computer. You are able to 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. Foodies who subscribe to Apple News+ will find a few new items. Also: Need a news app? Here are my top 5 across Android, Linux, and iOS 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. What else is there? 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. 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. Users of the Podcasts app will find a couple of new widgets. Also: Everything you need to start a podcast 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. 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. 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. Both iPadOS 18.4 and MacOS 15.4 now have the same AI-powered Apple Mail skills that were already available on the iPhone since iOS 18.2. This means you can view your inbox across different categories, such as Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. The Mail app also offers a digest view that will put all the emails from a single sender into one stack. Don't want these features? Don't worry, you can easily turn them off. For Apple Watch wearers, WatchOS 11.4 lets you use Siri to instruct a Matter-compatible robot vacuum to clean a specific room. Seven new emoji are available in the emoji keyboard. You are now able to set an alarm that can wake you up even if the watch is in silent mode. Finally, VisionOS 2.4 brings Apple Intelligence to the Vision Pro. You can now get help writing or revising emails and messages via Writing Tools, create custom images with Image Playground, and design your own Genmoji. A Smart Reply option in Mail and Messages offers suggestions for a quick response, while the Photos app lets you use natural language to find a specific photo.

What's new in iOS 18.4? Priority notifications and 9 other big changes for your iPhone

Apple's iOS 18.4 update offers a variety of new and improved features, but the star of the show may be priority notifications and expanded Apple Intelligence. Although the company's AI-powered technology has received some criticism, Apple remains focused on improving its reach and capabilities. Here are the biggest changes coming to your iPhone and iPad, plus what's new in other software updates rolling out to Apple devices. First up: Apple Intelligence will now display urgent or important notifications in a separate section on the Lock screen, so that you can more easily 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 are able to turn it on or off and choose which apps you want included. Apple Intelligence has added support for French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, and localized English for India and Singapore. Also: Forget Siri: Apple Intelligence's true potential on iPad and Mac lies in third-party apps Even further, iPhone users across the EU will now have access to Apple Intelligence for the first time. This means that the AI will be available in many of the major languages and regions around the world. 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, which means that iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, and iPhone 16e users can take advantage of it. 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. There's more to the update beyond Apple Intelligence. The much-maligned Photos app is one example. Also: How to use the Photos app on your iPhone You can now show or hide photos that aren't in an album or synced from your computer. You are able to 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. Foodies who subscribe to Apple News+ will find a few new items. Also: Need a news app? Here are my top 5 across Android, Linux, and iOS 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. What else is there? 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. 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. Users of the Podcasts app will find a couple of new widgets. Also: Everything you need to start a podcast 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. 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. 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. Both iPadOS 18.4 and MacOS 15.4 now have the same AI-powered Apple Mail skills that were already available on the iPhone since iOS 18.2. This means you can view your inbox across different categories, such as Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. The Mail app also offers a digest view that will put all the emails from a single sender into one stack. Don't want these features? Don't worry, you can easily turn them off. For Apple Watch wearers, WatchOS 11.4 lets you use Siri to instruct a Matter-compatible robot vacuum to clean a specific room. Seven new emoji are available in the emoji keyboard. You are now able to set an alarm that can wake you up even if the watch is in silent mode. Finally, VisionOS 2.4 brings Apple Intelligence to the Vision Pro. You can now get help writing or revising emails and messages via Writing Tools, create custom images with Image Playground, and design your own Genmoji. A Smart Reply option in Mail and Messages offers suggestions for a quick response, while the Photos app lets you use natural language to find a specific photo.

iOS 18.4 Is Here With Priority Notifications, Other Small Tweaks

A smattering of new features arrive across devices as Cupertino continues the slow and steady release of its flagship AI system. Here's what's available now. Apple released its iOS 18.4 update today, bringing Apple Intelligence to the Vision Pro and the EU for the first time alongside a handful of updates for the company's AI suite. The new features are relatively minor. The biggest one is Priority Notifications, which organizes your lock screen to help you sift through and find the most urgent items that demand a response. Apple touted this feature when it unveiled Apple Intelligence in June 2024, and now it's finally here for supported iPhones, iPads, and Macs. A similar feature for emails has been available since the first Apple Intelligence release in October with iOS 18.1. Apple also released a few small, AI-powered creative features. A new Sketch style in Image Playground "creates academic and highly detailed sketches," Apple says. With macOS Sequoia 15.4, also out today, you can now "create a memory movie on Mac by simply typing a description." Vision Pro Gets More 'Intelligent' Vision Pro users can now access Apple Intelligence features on their headset. It comes with a new Vision Pro app for iPhone, which requires iOS 18.4 and allows Vision Pro owners to queue up AR apps and content on their phones to watch later on the headset. The app also highlights new spatial experiences and information about the Vision Pro. This update comes amid rumors of a push from Apple to add more visual AI across its device lineup, including AirPods and Apple Watches. While the features are a welcome addition to the headset for those who already own one, they are not a game-changer for those considering purchasing a Vision Pro, we found when testing out the visionOS 2.4 beta. iOS 18.4: A Bit of a Snoozefest -- Except for the EU Apple has opted for a gradual rollout of Apple Intelligence, partly because some highly anticipated features -- like Siri -- just aren't ready. This has resulted in less momentum behind each launch, though it gives the company time to thoroughly test features to avoid problems like AI-powered notifications generating false headlines. It's also been frustrating for consumers, who are now suing Apple for false advertising on the iPhone 16, which promised an "easy-to-use personal intelligence system that understands personal context to deliver intelligence that is helpful and relevant while protecting user privacy." The promise of AI also failed to spur a "super cycle" of device upgrades over the holidays. One reason for that was the lack of Apple Intelligence availability worldwide, particularly in China, and in languages other than English. That starts to change with iOS 18.4, which brings Apple Intelligence to the EU for the first time, and adds support for new languages, including French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified), as well as localized English for Singapore and India.

iOS 18.4 is available now with new emoji, Apple News+ Food and priority notifications

Apple has released iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, macOS 15.4 and visionOS 2.4, bringing a grab bag of new features to the companies devices and expanding Apple Intelligence to new countries and languages. As previously announced by Apple iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4 and macOS 15.4 include a new Apple News+ Food section in the News app that collects recipes and food-oriented articles, including exclusive recipes for Apple News+ subscribers. The updates also introduce new emoji, AI-sorted Priority Notifications in Notification Center, new ways to filter photos in the Photos app and lossless audio on the AirPods Max. That's on top of a random assortment of other quality-of-life features like: The update to visionOS 2.4 will add Apple Intelligence features like Writing Tools and Image Playground to the Vision Pro for the first time, on top of a streamlined process for sharing your headset with another person, a new Apple Vision Pro app for the iPhone to download apps and experiences to your Vision Pro remotely, and a Spatial Gallery app for the headset itself that features a rotating collection of spatial videos and photos curated by Apple. After a bit of a delay, Apple says Apple Intelligence will be available in the European Union for the first time on iPhone and iPad. The suite of AI features will now also work in several new languages "including French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified) -- as well as localized English for Singapore and India," Apple says.

iOS 18.4 adds new Apple Intelligence features, here's what's coming - 9to5Mac

Apple has regularly expanded its slate of AI features on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and the next software update continues that trend. iOS 18.4 is launching soon and will bring six new features and enhancements to Apple Intelligence on your iPhone. Here's what's coming. One of my favorite current Apple Intelligence features is notification summaries. And in iOS 18.4, AI powers another feature that similarly makes your notifications better than before: Priority Notifications. This addition basically gives your notifications two different levels of prominence on the Lock Screen. If Apple Intelligence determines that an alert seems especially important, it will be surfaced more prominently in a new Priority Notifications highlighted area. Less important alerts are still present too, but they live below Priority Notifications and don't get the same visual decor. You can manually enable or disable the feature not just for all apps, but even on a per-app basis. That way Priority Notifications can reflect what's actually important for you personally. Visual Intelligence launched as an iPhone 16-exclusive feature. iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, despite supporting all other AI features, missed out on Visual Intelligence. But iOS 18.4 changes that, as it brings the feature to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16e despite their lack of Camera Control buttons. It does this by making Visual Intelligence accessible via a new Control Center button, which can also be assigned to your device's Action Button or Lock Screen controls. When Apple originally demoed its Image Playground app for creating original images, there were three styles available to choose from: Image Playground shipped in iOS 18.2 last December, but it only included the first two style options. Now, in iOS 18.4, Sketch has completed the trio. This means any of your existing AI image creations, or new ones you make in the future, can utilize a new design that looks pencil-drawn. AI can be great at aggregating and summarizing large swaths of information, making it a good fit for customer reviews. And in iOS 18.4, the App Store benefits from that. Apple Intelligence brings review summaries to app and game listings inside the App Store app. While you can still browse full user-written reviews yourself, now you can also get a quick snapshot of users' opinions on an app by reading the AI review summary. One of Apple Intelligence's biggest limitations at launch was being English-only. Apple expanded support to multiple localized English options, but until now AI has still been an English-only affair. In iOS 18.4, eight new AI languages are now supported: India and Singapore now get localized English support too. One of the two major territories that Apple Intelligence has so far been unavailable -- the EU and China -- is officially done waiting. iOS 18.4 brings AI support to the EU for the first time. Previously, you could only use AI features in the EU on a Mac, but now iPhone and iPad users benefit too. Apple's steady rollout of new Apple Intelligence features has continued for nine months now. Unfortunately, some of the biggest promised features -- major Siri upgrades -- aren't arriving any time soon. Regardless, with the decks just about cleared of other AI features Apple had previously announced, we're getting closer to WWDC 2025 where iOS 19 is likely to offer its own new AI features. Which new iOS 18.4 AI features are you most interested in? Let us know in the comments.

iOS 18.4: All the newest Apple Intelligence features coming to your iPhone

iOS 18.4 has arrived with a bunch of new features, including some important updates for Apple Intelligence. The new update may lack the upgraded version of Siri, which has been delayed indefinitely, but Apple's AI does offer a bunch of AI upgrades for you to take advantage of. Notifications have been given a vital boost, to help you sort the good from the bad, while Image Playground now has a brand new (and slightly overdue) artistic style. Apple also added summaries to the App Store, new AI languages, and official support for the EU. To top it all off, Visual Intelligence, which was previously an iPhone 16 exclusive, has landed on older phones -- even ones without a Camera Control button. Here are all the new Apple Intelligence features that have arrived as part of iOS 18.4 Visual Intelligence was first announced as an iPhone 16-exclusive feature, utilizing the brand new Camera Control button. But the iPhone 16e launch mixed things up a bit, promising that the new AI vision feature would be available on the phone -- albeit through the Action Button. iOS 18.4 activates that feature on iPhone 16e, alongside iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. All iPhones capable of running Apple Intelligence now have access to the full suite of AI features. Apple's Notification Summaries have been a little controversial, on account of them getting things wrong on more than one occasion. A similar, but hopefully less problematic, notification feature came alongside iOS 18.4 -- Priority Notification alerts. Essentially, this tiers your notifications into two categories, and if Apple Intelligence believes it's essential, then it'll try and make the alert more noticeable. The new Priority Notification alerts are displayed more prominently, and in a special new highlighted area. The feature can be manually switched on and off on a per-app basis, letting you personalize which notifications are most important to you. Back when Apple first announced Image Playground, it promised that three unique styles of image generation would be available: Animation, illustration and Sketch. However, with the release of iOS 18.2, Sketch was nowhere to be found. iOS 18.4 fixes that issue. This means when you give the app an image generation prompt, you can now make the results look as though they've been pencil-drawn. Reading through reviews is a good way to get an idea of what a product or service has to offer. But it can be a pain to have to read through them all, and following Google's rollout of review summaries in Google Play last year, Apple is offering the same to the App Store. You can still browse all the reviews in full, the new summary gives you a glimpse of what people have said about a specific app. That way, you can get an idea of what they've all been saying in no time at all. When Apple Intelligence first launched last year, it did not make its way to the EU. According to Apple, this was due to the Digital Markets Act, a piece of EU legislation that had already had a big impact on Apple's businesses by forcing the company to allow third-party app stores on iOS and iPadOS. But that has changed with iOS 18.4, now allowing users within the EU to access AI officially -- and in a language other than some variation of English. Opening up AI to new regions would be a little pointless if the local lingo wasn't supported, and that changed with iOS 18.4 as well. Apple intelligence now understands eight new languages: French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese. Localized English is also available in both India and Singapore as well. These languages are available everywhere, not just in specific countries. So if you'd rather get Apple Intelligence in something other than English, you can.

iOS 18.4 has arrived: Here are more than a dozen reasons to upgrade now

Apple Intelligence in the EU is the headline feature, but there are dozens of small improvements in this release for everyone. If there's a marquee feature for iOS 18.4, it's the expansion of Apple Intelligence into the EU, along with Vision Pro compatibility and new language support for French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. That's tens of millions of iPhone 16 owners who can finally use the feature Apple says the new iPhones were "built for." (However, we should point out that this release does not enable Phone Mirroring on Macs in the EU due to issues over Digital Markets Act compliance.) For everyone else, there isn't one standout feature. Rather, iOS 18.4 brings lots of little tweaks, improvements, and changes. Maybe one will stand out for you as the thing you've been waiting for, or maybe the sum of them taken together just makes your iPhone a little more pleasant to use. Here's a by-no-means-complete list of the little things you may come to appreciate about this update. Visual Intelligence can be triggered in the Control Center or the Action Button. This makes it available on the iPhone 15 Pro, and it means you can add the control to your lock screen. If you've got AirPods Max, you're getting an upgrade (with a firmware update as well, probably) to allow audio over USB-C, which will include 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio and ultra-low-latency audio. If you're a CarPlay user, you'll appreciate the new third row of app icons on the home screen (if your display size is large enough) and a new API for sporting events will allow for custom experiences during live sporting broadcasts. Speaking of driving, Apple Maps will now include the location of NACS chargers (that's the so-called "Tesla connector" appearing on many new EVs). Got a Vision Pro? Along with support for Apple Intelligence on the headset, there's a new Vision Pro iPhone app that lets you discover spatial experiences, download apps and games, and get tips. If you're a fan of making Shortcuts, you'll love that there are now lots of Shortcut options to change app settings. So you can make apps behave differently based on location or time of day or whatever, if you're good at making Shortcuts. You'll notice that Safari now shows recent searches when you select the search/address bar, making it easy to repeat that search you just did earlier today. You can clear this at will, or prevent it from showing at all by going to Settings > Safari > Show recent searches. There are several tweaks to Control Center. Buttons that have more options when you select them show chevrons, the cellular data toggle shows real signal strength, and so on. There are new controls, too, including four options for Ambient Music: Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing. Each one has multiple playlist options or you can select one of your playlists. Because they're Control Center controls, you can add them to the lock screen or trigger them with the Action Button, too. There's an all-new Apple Intelligence feature: Prioritize Notifications. Go to Settings > Notifications > Prioritize Notifications to enable or disable it, and you can select which apps it works with. When enabled, AI will try to determine if a notification is especially important and show it to you in a separate group on top of all your other notifications. Tweaks to the Photos app include a new "Key Photo" view mode for your Albums, two new filters for viewing your Photos library (Shared With You and Not in an Album), and the ability to edit the order of the Media Types list. Finally, I can select Screenshots without swiping three pages over! Image Playground is still a pretty bad experience, but at least it now has the Sketch style that was demonstrated back at WWDC. For certain kinds of drawings, it's the best choice. You know how you can set up a new iPhone or iPad by bringing another iPhone or iPad near it? Well, now that works for setting up a new Mac, too! You'll need to update the Mac to macOS 15.4 or later, of course.

iOS 18.4 gets official release notes: Apple Intelligence, new Photos tools, Ambient Music, and more

Official release notes list Apple Intelligence upgrades and other new features Apple has released the second release candidate for iOS 18.4, and though we still don't have a release date for iOS 18.4 proper, it seems likely that the next mid-year iOS update is right around the corner. Indeed, we expect iOS 18.4 to land as soon as this week (MacRumors predicts April 1), and this pre-release version of the update gives us an official idea of what to expect. It seems that iOS 18.4 is a fairly substantial update by mid-year standards - Apple Intelligence continues its shaky rollout, the Photos app gets some new features, Apple News+ gets some tasty new recipes, and ambient music enjoyers are in for a surprise. As for compatibility, all iPhone models that currently support iOS 18.3 - that's the iPhone Xs to the current-generation iPhone 16 lineup - will almost certainly support iOS 18.4. iOS 18.4 sees Apple continue the rollout of Apple Intelligence for compatible devices, with a handful of features first announced in 2024 finally making their way to users. The big ticket item this time around is Priority Notifications, which uses AI to identify important notifications and pin them to your lock screen. Image playground also gets an overdue feature in the form of the Sketch style, which allows users to create images inspired by hand-drawn sketches using AI. Another minor addition is review summaries in the app store; that's AI-generated overviews of user-generated app reviews. Apple Intelligence also gets support for eight new languages: Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), French (France, Canada), Italian, Japanese, Korean, and German, as well as two local dialects of English, for Singapore and India. Siri is conspicuously missing from these release notes: we had originally hoped to see Siri get its long-awaited Apple Intelligence update with iOS 18.4, but it looks like we'll be waiting even longer for this (hopefully) game-changing upgrade. It now seems more likely that Siri will get its AI upgrade with iOS 19, which will likely release in September alongside the rumored iPhone 17 lineup. iOS 18.4 brings a selection of new features to the Photos app, making it easier to organize and rearrange your photos and videos. All collections get a selection of filtering options, such as including or excluding photos from a particular album or sorting by either the oldest or newest photos first. Users also gain the ability to sort their media by date modified, rather than date created, which is helpful for keeping recently cropped or edited photos together. It's also now possible to disable the automatically created Recently Shared and Recently Viewed albums, and hidden photos will no longer be imported to Mac or PC if the user has enabled the Use Face ID security option. With iOS 18.4, Apple News+ gains a new Food section full of stories about healthy eating, restaurants, and recipes. It's a fairly sizeable addition to the already fairly comprehensive Apple News+ service, and gives users plenty of new articles to dig into. The Recipe Catalog allows users to save recipes for later, and a follow-along Cooking mode makes putting them into practice a piece of cake. Keep in mind that this is a new feature for the Apple News+ service, which costs $12.99 / £12.99 / AU$19.99 per month, and not for the free Apple News app. iOS 18.4 adds the Vision Pro app to iPhone, giving Vision Pro users the ability to check for new spatial content and get quick information about their headset. By the sounds of things, the app will automatically install for those with a Vision Pro headset registered to their Apple Account. This is a weird one. Apple is adding a dedicated Ambient Music feature to iPhone with iOS 18.4 - but it's not its own app, or even a part of the Apple Music app. Instead, users have to add the Ambient Music control to their control center, in a similar manner to the way Shazam is currently implemented. Users then get access to four playlists of ambient music, titled Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing. For those who haven't come across ambient music before, it's a form of relaxed, slow music that aims to be enjoyable to listen to without focus - typically we're talking woodwinds, strings, synthesizers, and a lack of percussion. The release notes don't suggest that users will need an Apple Music subscription to use the new Ambient Music feature. As well as the new features listed above, iOS 18.4 also comes with a handful of smaller updates and bug fixes. For example, screen time limits now remain in place when an app is uninstalled and reinstalled, and it's easier to add child-safe settings during device setup. Safari also gets recent search suggestions. Additionally, 10 new system languages have been added to iOS: Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. Full release notes can be found on Apple's developer blog. Be sure to let us know what you're looking forward to most in the comments below.

IOS 18.4 arrives on iPad with Apple Intelligence, Mail tweaks

If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy. Apple has released iPadOS 18.4 to the public, with the update bringing with it Apple Intelligence upgrades as well as an update Mail app, among other improvements. Apple's beta-testing cycle for iPadOS 18.4 took four cycles before the introduction of release candidates to complete. After all that testing, it is now available for the general public to download and install to their iPad. The release build is build number 22E240, just like the second release candidate. This includes an expansion of localization support into more languages: Chinese (simplified), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish. There is also support for localized English in India and Singapore. Imaging changes this time around include a new Sketch style for Image Playground, giving more options for how generated pictures can appear. Priority Notifications can shift selected important updates to the Lock Screen, so users can immediately see the main things they should be aware of. The feature was tweaked in the beta to tell Apple Intelligence which apps should be displayed, and which should not. Control Center gains a number of Apple Intelligence-specific options in its own section, including buttons for Talk to Siri and Type to Siri. There are other smaller Apple Intelligence features too, including AI summaries of App Store reviews, Type to Siri gaining a faster animation, and a prompt that tells users they can use Genmoji. The Mail app has already been updated in iOS with a new design, but iPadOS was left behind. Now, the iPad gets the same feature set. The headline feature here is inbox categorization, which divides your inbox up into four categories: Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. This should help users see more important emails quicker. Of course, you can also view your full inbox by tapping the currently active category to deactivate them all temporarily, or you can turn them off permanently. As part of the changes, you'll also see contact photos displayed next to messages in the inbox, along with Apple Intelligence summarizations of conversational threads. The Shortcuts app gains a number of new options, giving more options for users wishing to automate commands. The list includes: The Apple News app is gaining a new section, for subscribers of Apple News+. The Food section will not only offer news stories about food as an interest, but it will also provide cooking assistance. News+ Food will collect together recipes from major food-based publications and relevant sections from newspapers, which can be sorted through and used to cook for yourself. A new Recipes format makes them easier to read, and to save for later usage. There's also a recipe catalog of over 70,000 recipes, all searchable and with built-in tags for types of cooking, such as vegetarian recipes, those that take less than 30 minutes to make, or even pasta dishes. With a recipe selected, users can tap Cook to start cooking the recipe, thanks to a streamlined view. The instructions are offered step-by-step, with links available to trigger timers of specific lengths, depending on what the recipe calls for. In this Cook mode, the iPad also won't dim the screen mid-recipe, saving users from having to constant keep the device awake. Messages gains a small collection of new emoji that can be sent to others. This includes symbols like a fingerprint, splatter, a shovel, and a face with bags under their eyes. Control Center updates the volume and brightness toggles, as well as showing actual carrier strength for the cellular bars. The Focus Control section gains up and down arrows, and users can also select from four Ambient sound options. HomeKit users will soon need to upgrade their Home architecture within the Home app. The changes include being able to use robot vacuums with a service area cluster, and Matter-enabled smoke detector support. Users in South Korea can now use Find My. Safari can show a user's recent searches when they open a new tab in the browser, though this can also be disabled by users. Safari also now shows the whole app when previewing App Store links. The App Store adds new options to pause app installations and updates. To install iPadOS 18.4 on an iPad manually, open the Settings app, select General, then Software Update. With beta updates turned off, the final release version will appear unless it has already been installed. Not everyone needs to do this manually. It's only if a user has set their iPad not to automatically update.

IOS 18.4 lands with more Apple Intelligence, Apple Vision Pro app

Following a beta testing cycle involving four developer betas and two release candidates, iOS 18.4 is now ready to be used by the general public. The build number, 22E240, is identical to the RC2's build, indicating they are the same content-wise. As usual, the iPhone operating system benefits from many changes in its updates, with Apple Intelligence continuing to feature prominently. Arriving since the first beta build, Apple Intelligence was expected to get some considerable updates to Siri, though that seems to have been put off to a future release. What arrived in iOS 18.4 is an expansion of its availability and localization support. This includes support for localized English in India and Singapore, as well as eight additional languages: Chinese (simplified), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish. Along with the expanded usability, there were some important image-based updates. The lesser of them was the introduction of a new Sketch style to Image Playground, giving users more imaging options. More important is Visual Intelligence's expansion to more devices from the original iPhone 16 range release. Under iOS 18.4, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max users can set up the Action button to activate Visual Intelligence. Priority Notifications shifts important notifications to the iOS Lock Screen, with selections chosen by Apple Intelligence. This was tweaked in beta testing to enable users to change what app notifications get displayed. Furthering user management of Apple Intelligence features, a dedicated Control Center section will display controls for features like Type to Siri, Talk to Siri, and Visual Intelligence. Other smaller Apple Intelligence changes include AI summaries of App Store reviews, a faster animation for Type to Siri, and a prompt reminding users to use Genmoji. The Apple Vision Pro gains a new iOS app in this update, helping users get along with the headset from the start of ownership. The app provides instructions for using the device and offers essential information, such as its serial number. The app also makes it easier to share the Apple Vision Pro experience, with it able to enable a Guest Mode for the headset. This eliminates most of the setup process for using the headset for guests, speeding up the time it takes to try it out. Users can also use the app to find new content, with the "Discover" section showcasing different apps, immersive videos, and games for the Apple Vision Pro. Spatial Gallery content is also viewable, allowing users to see spatial videos and photos in one convenient location. Apple's in-car infotainment software, CarPlay, also gained a few changes in the betas. For a start, Apple added the option to display a third row of icons in the interface, but only on large screens. A more important change spotted in the betas was one aimed at electric vehicles. As part of its EV Routing feature, the system will support North American Charging Standard (NACS) stations, which will let users more easily find compatible chargers on a route. CarPlay also gains a Sports entitlement. There are many new additions to the Shortcuts app, which provides more ways to automate a user's apps and life. The new shortcut commands include: There were a lot of other changes affecting individual apps and services in iOS in the betas too. Apple News+ gains a new feed for recipes, restaurant reviews, and kitchen tips. This does require an Apple News+ subscription for access. The Wallet app changed its listing for Subscriptions and Payments to say Preauthorized Payments. Wallet users can also use Face ID to authenticate when viewing their savings account. Messages gains a total of seven new emoji, as well as RCS updates for multiple carriers in the U.S. and France. Aside from the Apple Intelligence additions, Control Center also has changes to the volume and brightness toggles. Focus Control gains up and down arrows in Control Center, and the cellular bars there also now reflect the actual carrier signal strength. HomeKit users will soon have to update their Home architecture to continue getting HomeKit updates. Robot vacuums can be used with a service area cluster, and there's now support for Matter-enabled smoke detectors. Find My has been enabled in South Korea for the first time. Safari now shows recent searches to users when they open a new tab, so they could get back to what they previously researched quickly. Users can also disable their appearance in the tab to maintain privacy. Also, Safari's preview for App Store links now show the whole app. Meanwhile, the App Store has new options to pause updates and app installs. To install iOS 18.4 on an iPhone manually, open the Settings app, select General, then Software Update. With beta updates turned off, the final release version will appear unless it has already been installed. Not everyone needs to do this manually. It's only if a user has set their iPhone not to automatically update.

iOS 18.4 adds AI features but doesn't fix one of Apple Intelligence's biggest stumbles

Apple's iOS 18.4 is here, and it includes a new AI notification feature -- but maybe not the one you wanted. Thanks to Apple Intelligence, anyone with iOS 18.4 and a new enough iPhone can enjoy "priority notifications," which automatically organizes your incoming notifications based on importance. That may sound useful in theory, but if Apple's last AI notifications endevaor is any indicator, you may not want to get your hopes up. iOS 18.4 was originally expected to roll out in April, but Apple launched it a little early on March 31. Any iPhone from the iPhone XR onward is eligible to download it (including the iPhone SE 2nd and 3rd generation). If you want to install it, all you need to do is go into your Settings app, select General, and select Software Update. If your phone is compatible, you should see an option to install iOS 18.4. This update includes a few small tweaks and additions, like a handful of new emojis and the introduction of recipes in Apple News. The most significant feature is priority notifications, which uses Apple Intelligence to identify the most important or urgent notifications and put them at the top of your lock screen. You can still swipe down to see the rest of your notifications like normal, but this feature can help make sure time-sensitive updates don't get lost in the weeds. Of course, you can also turn off priority notifications completely by going into the Settings app and selecting Notifications. If your phone is compatible with Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro or any iPhone 16), you should see an option to "Prioritize Notifications" under the Apple Intelligence section of your notification settings. If you don't want to use the feature, simply turn off that option. If you're getting flashbacks hearing about an AI feature to sort notifications on your iPhone, it may be because Apple previously introduced AI notification summaries in January. However, that feature was temporarily paused, at least for news and entertainment apps, after users spotted it generating inaccurate summaries of news stories. While Apple users didn't seem particularly upset about losing the feature, it was still yet another fumble for Apple's AI rollout. Hopefully, priority notifications work better than notification summaries. At first glance, priority notifications seem more useful and less likely to run into problems since this feature doesn't require Apple's AI to generate anything, only sort what's already there. It will most likely rely on identifying certain words and phrases in your notifications, such as "soon" or dates and times. Whether it will go more smoothly than Apple's last AI notification experiment is anyone's guess, but between Apple's Siri fumble and notification summaries, Apple should hope its latest offering works as planned.

Update Your iPhone Now to Get New Emojis, Priority Notifications, and Much More

I Switched to iPhone After 10 Years on Android -- These Missing Features Drive Me Crazy It's time for new iPhone software. Apple has just released iOS 18.4 with a wide variety of features. A New Apple Intelligence Feature As you might have expected, the update offers a nice new Apple Intelligence feature. Priority Notifications will appear at the top of your notification stack and be highlighted to easily stand out. The notifications are important and may require your immediate attention. An existing Apple Intelligence feature, Image Playground, is also getting better. Apple has added a new Sketch image option. With Image Playground, you can create images with a simple text prompt. All of the new Apple Intelligence features are available for all iPhone 16 models, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Max. Apple Intelligence now also supports eight additional languages and two additional English locales. Apple Intelligence has had a controversial rollout with the features not matching up to Apple's hype. But at least with Priority Notifications, I was happy to see that the feature is actually useful. I've been using the software during its beta testing period, and the AI seemingly was able to actually pick up the most important of my notifications. Hopefully, this is a step in the right direction. Apple News+ Food Helps You Find That Perfect Recipe Anyone who subscribes to Apple News+ can also take advantage of Apple News+ Food. The new section brings thousands of recipes from popular Apple News+ publishers like Allrecipes, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Good Food, and Serious Eats. All the recipes can be saved to access later offline. When it comes time to prepare the meal, you can see large step-by-step instructions, even from across the room. The section also includes stories about restaurants, kitchen tips, healthy eating, and more. You'll need to shell out an additional $12.99 per month for Apple News+, but you'll receive access to more than 400 publications along with news from a myriad of other sources. There are free trials available. One of the most-used features on anyone's iPhone, the Photos app, also received some nice tweaks. A very useful option is that there are consistent filter options in all collections, including the ability to sort by older or newest in Photos. There is also a new option to sort albums by the date modified in the Photos app. Other notable additions include an Ambient Music feature that can play music directly from the Control Center with curated playlists and a standalone Apple Vision Pro app. Emoji fans will also be happy to hear of eight new additions: face with bags under eyes, fingerprint, leafless tree, root vegetable, harp, shovel, splatter, and the Flag of Sark. How to Update Your iPhone It just takes a few minutes to install an update to your iPhone. To install iOS 18.4 on your iPhone, head to Settings > General > Software Update. The process takes anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending on your Wi-Fi speed. It's always best to keep your phone charging during the process.

This incredible notifications feature is coming to your iPhone in iOS 18.4 | Stuff

The latest software update for iPhones prioritises your notifications and adds a bunch of other new stuff. Here's what's new in iOS 18.4 So far, Apple's iOS 18 software has been on quite the journey. It's delivered call recording, Camera Control upgrades, Genmoji, an AI image generator, a new Mail app, and ChatGPT nestled right into Siri. That said, the Apple Intelligence roll-out has been extremely messy. But as a software update, iOS 18 has delivered a lot. Now, we're on to iOS 18.4, with one incredible feature. The star of the show in this free software update is Priority Notifications. It's a feature I didn't know I needed until it quietly started saving me from drowning in notifications. Let's be honest, the current notification stack on iPhone is a chaotic mess. Priority Notifications changes that. Using Apple Intelligence, your iPhone now picks out the stuff that genuinely matters and sticks it right at the top of your Home Screen's notification stack. Think of it as a digital bouncer for your alerts - only the important ones get past the velvet rope. I've been living with this for a bit, and while not perfect, it has helped me to look at my phone less. But Priority Notifications isn't all that's new in iOS 18.4. The Apple News+ app now has a full-blown recipes section. Your iPhone can now double as a digital cookbook, complete with cooking mode and step-by-step instructions. The Photos app got some love too, with more control over how your library's organised. That includes new filters, sorting options, and the welcome ability to hide "Recently Viewed" or "Recently Shared". CarPlay now supports three rows of icons on bigger screens, and EU users can even set a default navigation app that isn't Apple Maps. There's even support for Matter-compatible robot vacuums in the Home app, new Podcasts widgets, ambient music from Control Center, and a whole lineup of new emojis. And for those that do want AI, as of iOS 18.4, Apple Intelligence now works in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and simplified Chinese. There are also localised English versiojs for Singapore and India. EU users can also finally get in on the Apple Intelligence party too. iOS 18.4 is rolling out now to all supported devices, though the shiny new Apple Intelligence features are still exclusive to iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. If you're rocking an older iPhone, you'll still get the emoji and CarPlay changes. To update, head to Settings > General > Software Update and select the new version.

iOS 18.4 is Here! See What's Changed

Apple has officially launched iOS 18.4, a feature-rich update designed to enhance the functionality and personalization of your iPhone. This release introduces smarter notifications, advanced AI capabilities, and expanded creative tools, offering something for every user. Whether you're a tech-savvy enthusiast or someone who values simplicity, iOS 18.4 aims to make your device more intuitive, efficient, and enjoyable. The video below from MacRumors gives us more details on the recently released iOS 18.4 software update. Managing notifications becomes more seamless with iOS 18.4, thanks to its enhanced prioritization system. You can now ensure that the most critical alerts, such as work emails, calendar reminders, or urgent messages, appear prominently on your lock screen. This feature is fully customizable through the Settings app, allowing you to tailor notifications based on app type, time of day, or specific priorities. For example, you can configure your iPhone to highlight work-related updates during office hours while keeping social media alerts less intrusive. By focusing on what matters most, this update helps you stay organized and minimize distractions. The Apple Intelligence suite receives significant upgrades in iOS 18.4, making your iPhone a more powerful assistant. A dedicated "Apple Intelligence" section in the Control Center provides quick access to tools like "Type to Siri," allowing you to interact with Siri via text. This feature is particularly useful in quiet environments or situations where speaking aloud isn't ideal. Additionally, enhanced Visual Intelligence tools improve object recognition and text extraction, streamlining tasks such as identifying items in photos or copying text from images. These advancements make everyday interactions with your device faster and more efficient. For those who enjoy exploring creative possibilities, the Image Playground app introduces a new "Sketch" style. This feature allows you to transform your photos into hand-drawn illustrations, adding a unique artistic touch to your images. Combined with existing animation and illustration styles, this update offers a broader range of tools for personal projects, social media posts, or creative experimentation. Whether you're designing a standout visual or simply having fun with your photos, the Image Playground app makes creativity more accessible and engaging. Communication gets a boost with the addition of new emojis in iOS 18.4. The expanded library includes symbols like a harp, shovel, root vegetable, and splatter, offering fresh ways to express your thoughts and emotions. These additions are perfect for enhancing your messages, whether you're sharing a gardening update, discussing a creative idea, or simply adding a playful touch to your conversations. With more options at your fingertips, expressing yourself has never been easier. iOS 18.4 strengthens its integration with the Apple Vision Pro headset, making augmented and virtual reality experiences more seamless. A new Vision Pro app for iPhone allows you to download apps and content directly to the headset, simplifying the setup process. Additionally, the update introduces the ability to manage guest profiles for the Vision Pro via your iPhone or iPad, making it easier to share the device with family or friends. These enhancements ensure a smoother and more user-friendly AR/VR experience. Food enthusiasts will appreciate the new Apple News+ Food Section, which offers a curated selection of recipes, restaurant stories, and healthy eating tips. The "Cook Mode" feature provides step-by-step instructions, turning your iPhone into a helpful kitchen companion. Whether you're an experienced chef or a beginner, this addition makes meal preparation more enjoyable and accessible. From discovering new dishes to perfecting your cooking skills, the Food Section adds a flavorful dimension to your iPhone experience. The Control Center now includes ambient music options designed to enhance your environment. Categories such as Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Well-being offer tailored soundscapes to suit different moods and activities. You can easily control playback through the Dynamic Island or the Now Playing widget, making sure a personalized audio experience. Whether you're winding down after a long day or boosting your focus during work, these soundscapes provide the perfect backdrop. The Photos app receives practical updates to improve organization and usability. New filters make it easier to sort shared images and unorganized content, helping you find what you need quickly. Additionally, the "Recently Deleted" section now includes a one-tap option to delete or recover all photos, saving you time and effort when managing your library. These enhancements simplify photo management, allowing you to focus on enjoying your memories. iOS 18.4 expands HomeKit compatibility to include Matter-enabled robot vacuums, bringing smarter cleaning solutions to your home. Through the Home app, you can schedule cleanings, control your vacuum remotely, and monitor its progress. This integration enhances the convenience of maintaining a clean home, making it easier to manage your smart devices in one place. In addition to its headline features, iOS 18.4 includes a range of minor improvements aimed at enhancing overall performance and usability. System updates ensure smoother operation, while expanded customization options allow you to tailor your iPhone experience to your preferences. These refinements contribute to a more polished and personalized device, making sure that iOS 18.4 meets the needs of a diverse user base. Here are more detailed guides and articles that you may find helpful on iOS 18.4 features.

iOS 18.4 Is Now Live With New Emojis, Apple News+ Food, And Priority AI Notifications Alongside Vision Pro Updates: What You Need To Know - Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Apple Inc. AAPL has officially released iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, macOS 15.4, and VisionOS 2.4, bringing a range of new features to its devices. What Happened: The iOS 18.4 update introduces several exciting features, such as a new Apple News+ Food section in the News app. This section compiles food-related articles and exclusive recipes available to Apple News+ subscribers. Additionally, new emojis have been added, alongside priority AI notifications in the Notification Center, which use AI to sort and prioritize alerts more effectively. The update also enhances the Photos app with new filtering options and provides lossless audio support for the AirPods Max. See Also: Apple's New Passwords App Left Users Exposed To Phishing Attacks For Months Due To Serious HTTP Flaw For VisionOS 2.4, Apple has introduced Apple Intelligence features, including Writing Tools and Image Playground for the Vision Pro. Users can now easily share their Vision Pro with another person and download apps remotely via the new Apple Vision Pro app for iPhone. A new Spatial Gallery app has also been added, featuring a curated selection of spatial photos and videos. Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox. Why It Matters: Last month, it was reported that CEO Tim Cook had reshuffled the company's AI leadership, moving Mike Rockwell to oversee Siri, following dissatisfaction with the performance of AI chief John Giannandrea. The tech giant's internal challenges have reportedly been acknowledged by senior director Robby Walker, who admitted to the frustration over delays in Siri's AI enhancements. Looking ahead, Apple is preparing for a significant software overhaul with iOS 19, expected to bring dramatic changes to the iPhone's interface. This upcoming update is anticipated to align more closely with the Vision Pro's visionOS, aiming for a cohesive user experience across Apple's ecosystem. Price Action: Apple shares ended Monday at $222.13, rising 1.94% during the regular session. However, in after-hours trading, they dipped 0.47%, according to Benzinga Pro data. Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link. Read Next: OpenAI And Microsoft Back MCP Standard For Web-Surfing AI Agents; Google's Sundar Pichai Asks A Shakespearean Question Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Photo courtesy: Shutterstock AAPLApple Inc$221.20-0.42%Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full ScoreEdge RankingsMomentum81.68Growth45.14Quality86.79Value7.46Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewMarket News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

iOS 18.4: These Apple Intelligence features will come to your iPhone with upcoming update

AI-powered App Store summaries will provide quick overviews of user reviews for apps and games. Apple is preparing to release the iOS 18.4 update next month, which will include significant improvements to the user interface and expanded support for local languages. While iOS 18.4 was initially expected to be a minor update due to the Siri delay, new reports indicate that it will include several Apple Intelligence features, making it a more significant upgrade than anticipated. Before moving on to the AI features, Apple will add support for English India, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (simplified), and other languages. Here is the list of Apple Intelligence features that will be part of the upcoming update. The iOS 18.4 will bring Priority Notifications, which will change the way your lock screen looks. It will categorise notifications into two levels- critical alerts appear in a new highlighted section, while less important ones are displayed below without extra visual emphasis. However, the users will also have an option to customise this feature on a per-application basis. Also read: iPhone 16 Plus available with Rs 11,600 discount: Check deal details here Visual Intelligence, which was exclusive to iPhone 16 series will now be coming to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max with the update. The users will be able to use it via Control Center shortcut through the Action Button or Lock Screen controls. The Apple Image Playground app will now include Sketch, which allows users to create pencil-drawn-style images for a more artistic touch, in addition to Animation and Illustration. Apple Intelligence is also said to be improving the App Store with the new feature that summarizes user reviews for applications and games. The users will receive AI-generated summaries that provide a brief overview of the application. Users will also have access to the full reviews.