So far, Apple’s iOS 18 software has been on quite the journey. It’s delivered call recording, Camera Control upgrades, Genmoji, an AI image generator, a new Mail app, and ChatGPT nestled right into Siri. That said, the Apple Intelligence roll-out has been extremely messy. But as a software update, iOS 18 has delivered a lot. Now, we’re on to iOS 18.4, with one incredible feature.
The star of the show in this free software update is Priority Notifications. It’s a feature I didn’t know I needed until it quietly started saving me from drowning in notifications.
Let’s be honest, the current notification stack on iPhone is a chaotic mess. Priority Notifications changes that. Using Apple Intelligence, your iPhone now picks out the stuff that genuinely matters and sticks it right at the top of your Home Screen’s notification stack. Think of it as a digital bouncer for your alerts – only the important ones get past the velvet rope. I’ve been living with this for a bit, and while not perfect, it has helped me to look at my phone less.
But Priority Notifications isn’t all that’s new in iOS 18.4. The Apple News+ app now has a full-blown recipes section. Your iPhone can now double as a digital cookbook, complete with cooking mode and step-by-step instructions. The Photos app got some love too, with more control over how your library’s organised. That includes new filters, sorting options, and the welcome ability to hide “Recently Viewed” or “Recently Shared”.
CarPlay now supports three rows of icons on bigger screens, and EU users can even set a default navigation app that isn’t Apple Maps. There’s even support for Matter-compatible robot vacuums in the Home app, new Podcasts widgets, ambient music from Control Center, and a whole lineup of new emojis.
And for those that do want AI, as of iOS 18.4, Apple Intelligence now works in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and simplified Chinese. There are also localised English versiojs for Singapore and India. EU users can also finally get in on the Apple Intelligence party too.
iOS 18.4 is rolling out now to all supported devices, though the shiny new Apple Intelligence features are still exclusive to iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. If you’re rocking an older iPhone, you’ll still get the emoji and CarPlay changes. To update, head to Settings > General > Software Update and select the new version.
