Apple’s iOS 18.4 Update: What’s Features Arriving on Your iPhone?

Apple is preparing to launch iOS 18.4, and iPhone users will soon be able to enjoy its exciting new features. If you haven’t been keeping up with the beta versions, you may have overlooked some of the enhancements on the horizon. Let’s delve into four significant updates that will be available with iOS 18.4 next month.

1. Priority Notifications – Stay Informed About What Matters Most

Although Apple has postponed its more sophisticated AI-driven Siri enhancements, iOS 18.4 introduces a clever feature known as Priority Notifications. This functionality helps users manage their most crucial alerts by categorizing important notifications into a special section on the Lock Screen.

Apple states that this feature highlights essential notifications, allowing you to focus on what truly counts without being overwhelmed by less significant alerts. You can customize which apps appear in Priority Notifications by adjusting the settings in the Notifications section of the Settings app.

It’s important to note that Priority Notifications is part of Apple’s Apple Intelligence suite, which means it will only be accessible on newer iPhone models, such as the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and all forthcoming iPhone 16 models.

2. Ambient Music – Create the Perfect Atmosphere

Music fans will love the new Ambient Music feature in iOS 18.4, which enables users to effortlessly play background music suited to their current activities. Apple has introduced four new toggles in the Control Center that allow you to start ambient music with just one tap:

Wellbeing – Ideal for relaxation and mindfulness moments
Chill – A soothing soundtrack for unwinding
Productivity – Music designed to enhance focus during work or study
Sleep – Calming sounds to help you fall asleep

You can easily incorporate these shortcuts into the Control Center, assign them to the Action button on compatible iPhones, or place them directly on the Lock Screen for quick access. Each mode is associated with a default Apple Music playlist, but you have the option to customize it to play any playlist from your library. This feature also includes a streamlined Now Playing interface, allowing you to effortlessly adjust the volume, pause, or skip tracks.

3. New Emoji – Exciting New Ways to Communicate

With iOS 18.4, Apple is introducing seven new emoji, providing users with even more options to convey their feelings in messages, social media, and more. The latest emoji include:

Face with bags under eyes (perfect for those sleepy mornings!)
Fingerprint
Leafless tree
Root vegetable
Harp
Shovel
Splatter

While Apple’s Genmoji feature enables users to create personalized emoji, these new additions enhance the standard emoji library with fresh visual options. It remains to be seen whether they will become popular among users!

4. Apple News+ Food – Your Ultimate Digital Cookbook

Apple is launching a new Apple News+ Food section in iOS 18.4, turning the Apple News app into a paradise for food enthusiasts. This feature gathers thousands of recipes from leading publishers, providing a sleek and user-friendly interface to discover fresh meal inspirations.

Users can effortlessly search, filter, and browse through recipes, and the app features a Cook Mode that displays step-by-step instructions in full-screen, ensuring a distraction-free cooking experience. Plus, you can save your favorite recipes for easy access later, even when offline.

Apple has also linked Apple News+ Food with the Clock app, enabling users to set timers for various cooking stages without leaving the app. Whether you’re a seasoned chef or a novice in the kitchen, this feature simplifies the process of finding and preparing tasty dishes.

Final Thoughts

These are just a few highlights of the new features in iOS 18.4, but Apple has included even more enhancements in this update. With improvements in performance and security, iOS 18.4 is designed to elevate the iPhone experience. Stay tuned for the official release in the upcoming weeks, and don’t miss our comprehensive coverage for all the latest updates.