Apple’s iOS 18.4 brings major updates, including the expansion of Apple Intelligence to EU users, a new Ambient Music and Apple Intelligence section in the Control Centre, new emojis, Recipe in Apple News+, Priority Notifications, brighter privacy indicators, support for more languages, and a revamped Podcasts and Wallet experience. Plus, you can now choose your default translation app.
Control Centre Enhancements
Apple has introduced several new features and some UI changes in the Control Centre with iOS 18.4:
1. Ambient Music
Apple introduced a brand new section called Ambient Music. This allows you to play songs based on your mood, like Sleep, Productivity, Wellbeing, etc.
2. Apple Intelligence and Siri
In addition to Ambient Music, there’s a new Apple Intelligence and Siri section where you’ll find Talk to Siri, Type to Siri, and Visual Intelligence options. You can tap one or all of these to add them to your Control Centre.
All the 8 New Emojis
iOS 18.4 introduces 8 fresh new emojis:
Apple Intelligence Expands to the EU
Apple Intelligence is now available to EU users. Despite having a compatible device, EU users were previously unable to access It, but that changes with iOS 18.4.
EU users can now access Apple Intelligence on their iPhones as long as they have a compatible model, such as the iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15, or iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Additionally, Apple Intelligence now supports 8 more languages and 2 additional English locales, including:
- English (India, Singapore)
- French (France, Canada)
- German
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Portuguese (Brazil)
- Simplified Chinese
- Spanish (Spain, Latin America, US)
Priority Notifications
Apple introduced a new feature called Priority Notifications. Apple Intelligence can now separate priority messages into a distinct section at the top of your notifications and highlight them for immediate attention.
This feature is turned off by default. You can also toggle it On or Off for individual apps via:
Settings > Notifications > Priority Notifications.
Sketch Mode in Image Playground
If you use Image Playground (Apple Intelligence’s image generation tool), there’s a new Sketch Mode available as an additional style option. This mode creates fully colored images that resemble hand-drawn sketches you might find in someone’s notebook.
Camera & Microphone Indicators – Now Brighter
Since iOS 14, an orange dot and a green dot appear in the dynamic island bar whenever the microphone or camera is being used by an app. In iOS 18.4, these dots are noticeably brighter than in previous versions.
Wallet App: Preauthorized Payments
If you use the Wallet app for subscriptions and payments, there’s now a dedicated menu in iOS 18.4. To access it, Open Wallet, tap the three dots (…) in the upper-right corner, then select Preauthorized Payments. This lets you see all subscriptions and payment plans linked to Wallet—making it easy for you to spot and cancel forgotten ones to save money.
Default Apps – Now Includes Translation
In iOS 18.2, Apple introduced a Default Apps feature that lets you change the default app for Calling and Messaging.
With iOS 18.4, Apple has added a new category: Translation. The default remains Apple Translate, but you can now change it to third-party apps like Google Translate.
Recipes in Apple News+
In iOS 18.4, Apple News+ subscribers get a new section called Food. It features recipes from top publications like Food & Wine, Good Food, and others.
Subscribers can:
- View recipes in detail
- Save them for later
- Access them offline
- Use the new Cook Mode, which displays step-by-step instructions full screen—perfect for cooking in the kitchen
Apple Vision Pro App
Apple also introduced a new default app in iOS 18.4 called Apple Vision Pro. According to its description, the app helps users explore new visionOS features, discover spatial experiences, and more.
Podcasts App Updates
iOS 18.4 brings a few new updates to the Podcasts app. You can now add Podcast widgets to your Home Screen with more options:
- Shows widget: Plays episodes from a show you follow
- Library widget: Plays episodes from a custom playlist in your library
Additional iOS 18.4 Updates
- iPhone users on Mint Mobile, Google Fi, Ultra Mobile, Tello, and US Mobile can now toggle on RCS messaging. This feature appears to be rolling out to all T-Mobile Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs).
- 2 new Siri voices have been added, bringing the total to four.
- The Shortcuts app now includes a new action to Change the App’s Settings.
- In Apple TV, the Play and + buttons are now centered in the middle of the screen, and the forward/backward buttons include new animations.