Apple has officially rolled out iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, bringing a mix of minor yet useful updates. While the highly anticipated contextual Siri with on-screen awareness is missing from this release, there are still several new features that iPhone and iPad users will appreciate.
Let’s check the most notable changes in iOS 18.4.
New Emoji Arrive
As part of the Unicode Consortium’s latest additions, iOS 18.4 introduces seven new emoji. While not the most exciting update, these additions help fill some gaps in the emoji lineup. The new emojis include:
- Face with bags under eyes
- Fingerprint
- Leafless tree
- Root vegetable
- Harp
- Shovel
- Splatter
Remember, these new emojis will only be visible to users running iOS 18.4 or later. If your phone runs on an older version of iOS, you will see a blank space in place of an emoji.
Ambient Music in Control Center
Apple has added a new Ambient Music feature to the Control Center, offering four built-in stations designed to enhance relaxation and focus. The stations include:
- Sleep – Sleep Sounds, Bedtime Beats, Sound Bath, Piano Sleep
- Chill – Piano Chill, Ambient Chill, Lo-Fi Jazz, Pure Chill
- Productivity – BEATStrumentals, Binaural Frequencies, Pure Focus, Classical Concentration
- Wellbeing – Pure Meditation, Spa, Beats & Breath, Pure Calm
Users can also replace these stations with their own Apple Music playlists, offering greater customization.
Prioritize Notifications with Apple Intelligence
For users who own iPhones with Apple Intelligence, a new Prioritize Notifications feature is now available in Settings → Notifications. This feature highlights important notifications separately on the Lock Screen to ensure critical updates don’t get lost in the clutter. Users can choose which apps to enable for prioritized notifications.
Visual Intelligence Shortcuts
Visual Intelligence, Apple’s tool for identifying objects using AI, now has a dedicated shortcut in the Control Center. Previously, it was only accessible via the Camera Control button on select iPhones. With iOS 18.4, it can now be triggered via:
- Control Center
- Lock Screen shortcut
- Action Button (on supported iPhones)
This update also brings Siri Knowledge integration, allowing users to identify plants, animals, and even add event details from posters directly to their calendar.
New Apple Intelligence Languages
Apple Intelligence is now available in French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified), along with localized English for Singapore and India.
Image Playground Sketch Style
Image Playground now includes a Sketch style. It was previously available for Image Wand, but now it is a third style that can be used in Image Playground.
Apple News+ Food Recipes
Apple News+ subscribers now have access to a new Food Recipes feature. This provides step-by-step cooking instructions, complete with embedded timers. This addition seems like a perfect fit for Apple’s rumored HomePad device, potentially making recipe-following even easier on larger displays.
Matter Support for Robot Vacuums
If you own a Matter-compatible robot vacuum, such as the SwitchBot S10, you can now add it to the Home app. This allows users to start, stop, and schedule cleaning sessions using Siri commands.
Macs Get Proximity-Based Setup
Apple is finally bringing proximity-based setup to Macs with iOS 18.4 and macOS 15.4. This feature, already available on iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Apple TVs, now allows users to set up a new Mac using a nearby iPhone or iPad.
iPad Mail App Finally Gets Categories
With iPadOS 18.4, the Mail app now includes the same categories available on iPhones—Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. This helps users manage their inbox more efficiently.
Photos App Enhancements
The Photos app receives several improvements, including:
- New sorting options for utilities and media types
- The ability to filter out items not in an album or shared via “Shared with You”
- A new key photo view for the albums section
Safari Gains ‘Hide Recent Searches’ Option
Users who value privacy will appreciate a new option to hide recent searches in Safari. This setting can be found under Settings → Apps → Safari.
Wrap Up
While iOS 18.4 doesn’t introduce the groundbreaking contextual Siri update, it still packs several useful enhancements. The Ambient Music feature, Prioritize Notifications, and Visual Intelligence Shortcuts will be particularly handy for many users. Plus, Apple’s push towards smart home integration with Matter support continues to grow.
For now, the wait for Apple’s next-gen Siri continues. Perhaps we will see it in iOS 19 later this year. Until then, iOS 18.4 brings enough refinements to keep things interesting.
Have you updated yet? Let us know which new feature you’re most excited about!
