iOS 18.4 update: Exciting new changes coming to your iPhone next month - Here’s what to expect

iOS 18.4 is set to bring exciting new features to your iPhone, including Priority Notifications, ambient music, fresh emojis, and more. Here's what to expect.

iOS 18.4 is likely to introduce new features such as Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, Emoji and Apple News+ Food. (REUTERS)

Apple has rolled out the iOS 18.4 Beta 4 update for developers and beta testers. While this update mainly focuses on fixing issues from previous versions, it has introduced several noteworthy features that will be available to all iPhone users soon. As the official release of iOS 18.4 approaches, here's a breakdown of the key features you can expect in the next update.

1. Priority Notifications

iOS 18.4 introduces Priority Notifications, a feature aimed at surfacing important notifications on your Lock Screen. Apple Intelligence detects significant alerts and highlights them separately, so you can easily see what you might have missed. Although the feature is part of Apple's broader plan to enhance Siri's capabilities, it works independently, offering a new way to manage notifications. You can adjust which apps are included in the priority sorting through the Settings app. Currently, this feature is available on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and all iPhone 16 models.

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2. Ambient Music

Ambient music makes its debut with iOS 18.4, bringing four new toggles to the Control Center. Users can now access pre-set playlists with a single tap to improve focus or relaxation. The options include Wellbeing, Chill, Productivity, and Sleep. These can be customized by adding them to the Control Center or the Action button on your iPhone. Each toggle is linked to an Apple Music playlist, though users have the flexibility to choose their own playlist. Playback is controlled through a simplified interface with basic playback and volume controls.

3. New Emoji

The iOS 18.4 beta also introduces seven new emoji options. These include the Face with Bags Under Eyes, Fingerprint, Leafless Tree, Root Vegetable, Harp, Shovel, and Splatter. While emoji may seem like a small addition, they provide more ways to express oneself, even as more personalized emoji options, like Genmoji, become popular.

4. Apple News+ Food

Apple News+ is getting a major upgrade with the addition of the "Food" section in iOS 18.4. This feature aggregates thousands of recipes from top publishers in a streamlined, user-friendly format. The app integrates with the Clock app, allowing users to follow step-by-step cooking instructions without switching apps. It also offers search and filtering options to help you find the perfect recipe. Plus, you can save your favourite dishes and access them offline.

These are just a few of the new features coming to iOS 18.4. With the update expected to roll out soon, iPhone users can look forward to a more organised notification system, enhanced music controls, fun new emojis, and an expanded Apple News experience.