As soon as the iOS 18.4 BETA dropped in late February, thousands of testers immediately started testing it and reporting on the new features they discovered. With the wait now officialy over, let’s review some of the most exciting features and updates coming with the new iOS 18.4.
Apple Intelligence Finally Available in Europe
When Apple first introduced Apple Intelligence back in June 2024, European iPhone users were left disappointed. As it turned out, the service would not be available in Europe anytime soon due to strict European regulations regarding AI. Being one of the key features of the iPhone 16 line of products, this was a dealbreaker for many European customers, who refused to buy the latest iPhone without access to Apple Intelligence.
Now, after months of legal struggles, Apple has announced that Apple Intelligence is finally coming to Europe and is featured in the upcoming iOS 18.4 release. The new update also brings support for more languages, including German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and Korean, so more iPhone and iPad users can take advantage of the Apple’s AI solution in their native language.
Apple News+ Food
Apple News+, one of the company’s subscription services that offers its users instant accces to 400+ leading publications and local news outlets, received a brand new section featuring thousands of delicious recipes from top chefs and food publishers. Additionally, the section features a ton of other food-related content, such as articles and videos about specific restaurants, trends, decor, and much more.
With the new section, you are now able to see full ingredient lists, save recipes, and even follow your favorite authors. But perhaps the most exciting feature of the new section is its “Cook” button, which allows you to enter a mode where the text enlarges, displaying only the current step, allowing you to focus on each step fully without any distractions. The mode also allows you to set timers directly from the interface, making the recipe much easier to follow. This might be especially useful for cooks who get easily overwhelmed by long recipes, or those who get easily distracted or have ADHD.
New Ambient Music Controls
Powered by Apple Music, iOS 18.4 also brings a set of new controls for the iPhone’s Control Center. Grouped under the new “Ambient Music” category, you are now able to add 4 new control triggers to your control center: Chill, Wellbeing, Sleep, and Productivity. Clicking each of these options will trigger a pre-created playlist via Apple Music, but you do have the possibility to customize which playlist opens for each category.
In addition to the Control Center, the new controls can also be added to your Lock Screen, and if you’re iPhone sports the Action Button, you can also assign any playlist from your personal library to it.
Other Noteworthy Updates
- Age range information during setup: When setting up a new iPhone, Apple will now ask you to specify what age group–12 or younger, 13-17, 18 or older–you belong to. By doing so, Apple will be able able to set up the iPhone’s parental and safety measures much more efficiently, ensuring your kids don’t secretly spend your money playing Joker’s Jewels or visit innapropriate websites.
- New widgets for Podcasts: Several new Podcasts-related widgets have been added to the widget library, including a new “Shows” widget that lets you view and easily play episodes from your favorite shows.
- Arrows added for dual eSIMs: In case two eSIMS being active on an iPhone, a small indicator showing which eSIM will use used to make the call was present in the top left corner of the Phone app. With 18.4, Apple will add two small arrows pointing in the opposite directions to amplify the notion that users can switch between lines before placing a call.
- Prioritize notifications: Using Apple Intelligence, your iPhone will be able to highlight the most important notifications in a separate window when you wake the lock screen. When the feature is enabled, all your other notifications will be hidden below the new ‘Priority’ window, and you will only be able to see them once you swipe up. If any of the priority notifications should not be inside the Priority window, you can send feedback to your iPhone and improve the results on the go.
Apple Vision Pro app: Users of the Apple Vision Pro received a brand-new application for iPhones, which allows them to discover new spatial content, find helpful tips, and instantly retrieve information about their device using their iPhone. This is in addition to several exciting Apple Intelligence features coming to Apple Vision Pro in April with the release of visionOS 2.4.
