iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Apple's release notes accompanying today's second iOS 18.4 release candidate provide a comprehensive overview of the anticipated features.

iOS 18.4: Expected Features and Release Date

• iOS 18.4, anticipated for release early next week, boasts significant updates including enhanced Apple Intelligence notifications with prioritized alerts for urgent messages on iPhone 16, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max models, expanded language support encompassing eight new languages and two additional English locales, and a revamped Apple News+ section dedicated to food with recipes and cooking features.

• The update also introduces a new Apple Vision Pro app for content discovery and device management, along with several Photos app improvements such as new filters, reordering options, and consistent filtering across collections, while excluding hidden photos from Mac/PC imports when Face ID is enabled.

• Further enhancements include Safari's improved search suggestions, streamlined Child Account setup in Setup Assistant, persistent Screen Time App Limits, App Store user review summaries, and pause/resume functionality for app downloads and updates; additionally, new Podcasts widgets, Ambient Music access from Control Center, and Home app Matter support for robot vacuum cleaners are included.

• Finally, iOS 18.4 will support ten new system languages (Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu), offering improved notifications and automations; however, regional availability and device compatibility may vary, and the full extent of features might exceed the official release notes, potentially including new Control Center options and emojis.

The Apple Vision Pro app, enhanced Apple Intelligence notification features, expanded language support, and a new Apple News Food section for Apple News+ subscribers are included in this release. Several Photos app functionality improvements are also implemented. Detailed release notes follow.

Apple Intelligence enhancements across iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max include prioritized notifications for urgent alerts. Image Playground now offers a sketch style option. Apple Intelligence language support has expanded to include eight additional languages and two additional English locales (India, Singapore). Other supported languages include French (France, Canada), German (Germany), Italian (Italy), Japanese (Japan), Korean (South Korea), Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, and Spanish (Spain, Latin America, US).

The new Apple Vision Pro app (automatically installed on Apple Vision Pro devices) facilitates content discovery, spatial experiences, and quick access to device information.

Apple News+ now features recipes from leading publishers, a searchable recipe catalog with saving functionality, step-by-step cooking mode, and expanded food-related content (restaurants, kitchen tips, healthy eating).

Photos enhancements include new filters to show/hide items not in albums or synced from Mac/PC, reordering in Media Types and Utilities collections, consistent filtering options (including sorting by date), album sorting by modification date, and the ability to disable "Recently Viewed" and "Recently Shared" collections. Hidden photos are no longer included in Mac/PC imports when Face ID is enabled.

This update also includes Safari's recent search suggestions for quicker access to previous searches, streamlined Setup Assistant steps for creating Child Accounts with optional default settings, persistent Screen Time App Limits even after app reinstallation, App Store user review summaries, pause/resume functionality for app downloads/updates, new Podcasts widgets (Followed Shows and Library), Ambient Music access from Control Center, Apple Fitness+ Collection Library additions, and Home app control for Matter-compatible robot vacuum cleaners.

iOS 18.4 will include support for ten new system languages: Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu, along with enhancements to notifications and automations. Regional availability and compatibility with all Apple devices may vary. Security details for Apple software updates are available at https://support.apple.com/100100. Note that the official release notes may not fully encompass all features discovered during beta testing, such as new Control Center options and emoji. We anticipate the iOS 18.4 release early next week, potentially on Tuesday, April 1st, given the release of two candidate versions this week.