iOS 18.3 was released last month, and the first beta for iOS 18.4 should arrive soon. This update is expected to bring bigger improvements to the iPhone, especially in areas like Apple Intelligence and system settings.
According to Apple, the launch of iOS 18.4 is slated for April after beta testing. As an iPhone user, Here are the things you should expect from this latest update.
Siri Improvements
Siri will get several upgrades using Apple Intelligence. These improvements will allow Siri to:
– Understand what’s on your screen
– Work better with individual apps
– Recognize personal context to give better responses
Apple Intelligence will only be available on iPhone 15 Pro models and newer, including the iPhone 16 series.
More Language Support
Apple announced that the iOS 18.4 software update in April will bring about more languages. This new language will include:
– English (India, Singapore)
– Chinese
– French
– German
– Italian
– Japanese
– Korean
– Portuguese
– Spanish
– Vietnamese
Some of these languages will arrive in April, while others will come on board later. Right now, Apple Intelligence is only available in localized English in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Better News Summaries
News notifications powered by Apple Intelligence were removed in iOS 18.3 because they often gave inaccurate summaries. Apple promised it would improve this feature in its future update.
Currently, summarized notifications have italicized text to help users tell them apart from regular notifications. Future updates will focus on making summaries more accurate.
New Emojis
Apple usually adds new emojis in its “.4” updates, like iOS 15.4, iOS 16.4, and iOS 17.4. iOS 18.4 is expected to continue this pattern.
The Unicode Consortium has already previewed some of the new emojis, which could include:
– A face with bags under its eyes
– A fingerprint
– A leafless tree
– A root vegetable
– A harp
– A shovel
– A splatter
EU Users Can Choose Default Apps
To follow the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, Apple will let iPhone and iPad users in the EU set different default apps for navigation and translation.
Expected in iOS 18.4, this will allow users to:
– Set Google Maps, Waze, or another app as their default navigation app instead of Apple Maps
– Choose Google Translate, Microsoft Translator, or another app instead of Apple’s built-in Translate app
These options will appear in the “Default Apps” section in Settings, which was first introduced in iOS 18.2.
Robot Vacuum Support in the Home App
Apple has confirmed that robot vacuums will soon be supported in the Home app. This feature may likely be launched with iOS 18.4.
Once added, users will be able to:
– Control vacuum functions like power, cleaning mode, and charging from the Home app
– Include robot vacuums in automation routines and HomeKit scenes
– Use Siri to start cleaning, such as asking it to clean a specific room
Final Thoughts
iOS 18.4 is expected to bring useful improvements, including better Siri features, expanded language support, and smarter news notifications. The update may also introduce new emojis and more customization options for EU users. More details should become available as beta testing continues.
