- iOS 18.4 could be right around the corner, as Apple has issued a pre-release version
- New features include Priority Notifications and a new style for Image Playground
- Additionally, Visual Intelligence comes to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
iOS 18.4 looks set to bring a major overhaul to the way notifications work on your iPhone, and the best part is we might not have to wait too long for the upcoming update to arrive.
As The Verge reports, Apple issued a release candidate version of iOS 18.4 on March 24, signalling that the stable release of the update is most likely on the way very soon. Notably, this iOS 18.4 beta finally brings Priority Notifications to select iPhones, an Apple Intelligence feature that automatically gives prominence to important notifications by highlighting them on your lock screen.
Personally, I think that sounds like a great addition to the iPhone’s notification system – my phone is frequently jammed up with all manner of notifications, so having the most important ones highlighted the second I reach for my device seems like a helpful addition. You will, however, need an iPhone 15 Pro or newer to access Apple Intelligence (and therefore Priority Notifications).
Priority Notifications was first revealed in June 2024 alongside the announcement and release of the iPhone 16 series and iOS 18, but the feature seems to have fallen victim to the unusually messy launch of Apple Intelligence (see also the long-awaited Siri update).
A release candidate build is, as its name suggests, a close-to-ready version of a software update – literally a candidate for stable release. We can think of the release candidate as the intermediate step between beta versions and the real thing. It tracks, then, that Priority Notifications will be a key part of iOS 18.4 proper.
What else is coming with iOS 18.4?
As 9to5Mac reports, iOS 18.4 will bring a handful of other software goodies to owners of the iPhone XS or newer, with the update encompassing all of the current best iPhones.
Significantly, iOS 18.4 will bring Apple Intelligence to the EU, ending a months-long gridlock due to officially unknown causes.
Furthermore, Apple’s environmentally aware Visual Intelligence AI scanning feature will come to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, having previously been exclusive to the iPhone 16 series.
The App Store will get review summaries generated by AI, too, while Image Playground will finally benefit from the Sketch style promised at launch.
Additionally, the list of supported Apple Intelligence languages will be expanded in iOS 18.4. Newly supported languages include:
- Simplified Chinese
- Spanish
- Korean
- Japanese
- French
- German
- Portuguese (Brazil)
- Italian
And perhaps most crucially of all, users will get access to nine new emojis in iOS 18.4, including future classics like “face with bags under eyes”, “shovel”, “harp”, and “beetroot”.
In any case, let us know what you’re looking forward to in iOS 18.4 in the comments section below, and feel free to check out our iPhone 16 review and iPhone 16 Pro review for a look at how Apple Intelligence works in practice.
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