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.

1. Priority notifications

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.

2. EU gets Apple Intelligence

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.

3. Visual Intelligence via Action Button

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.

4. Additional AI changes

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.

5. Photos app update

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.

6. Apple News+ recipe directions

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.

7. Vision Pro upgrades

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. 

8. Control Panel options

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.

9. Podcast app widgets

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.

10. Security patches

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.

Other Apple software updates

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.

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