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Many highly anticipated AI features on iOS 18.4. Photo: Macrumors

Priority Notification

Apple introduced Priority Notifications at WWDC in June 2024. This is an Apple Intelligence feature that users have been waiting for since iOS 18 launched last September.

With Priority Notifications , Apple will analyze incoming notifications and highlight important ones based on context and time. If a user has a food order and an order is coming, that notification will be prioritized, appearing above other notifications. The same goes for any notification that has a time element or requires immediate attention.

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Priority Notifications on iOS 18.4 beta. Photo: Macrumors

This feature is optional in the iOS 18.4 beta. To enable it, users go to Settings > Notifications > Notification Priority.

When enabled, Priority Notifications will appear first in the list on the lock screen, in a separate box with a prominent icon. Users can still see all other notifications by swiping down.

Image "playground"

When Image Playground launched, it only had two image creation styles: Animation and Illustration . However, Apple had plans from the beginning to add a third option.

In the iOS 18.4 beta, a third option called Sketch has appeared. Sketch is a style that looks like hand-drawn images, different from Animation – a 3D style, and Illustration – a simple image in 3D style.

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Sketch appears in iOS 18.4 beta. Photo: Macrumors

Apple describes Sketch as a “highly detailed and academic” style that creates “beautiful drawings on a monochrome background.” Meanwhile, Illustration features bold outlines, bold colors, and simple shapes, while Animation offers a “playful, 3D cartoon look.”

New language

iOS 18.4 adds Apple Intelligence support for several new languages, including: French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (Simplified), along with localized English for Singapore and India.

iOS 18.4 Release Date

Apple has released the first beta of iOS 18.4 to developers and public beta users. The second beta is expected to launch this week, and iOS 18.4 will be available for testing throughout March.

Apple plans to officially release iOS 18.4 in early April.

Apple Intelligence's Siri

It's possible that Apple Intelligence-based Siri features could still appear in a later beta of iOS 18.4, but this seems unlikely given that there's only a month left before the update officially launches.

Instead, Apple will likely add Siri features in the iOS 18.5 update. It’s rare for major features to be released in a .5 update, as Apple typically shifts its focus to the new version of iOS at that point. However, it’s not unheard of.

Apple has been rolling out iOS 18 features slowly and may continue this strategy with iOS 19. According to leaked news, Apple even delayed the development of iOS 19 to continue improving iOS 18.

The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro Max will have many breakthrough upgrades . The iPhone 17 series is expected to have many design changes, especially the two high-end iPhone models: iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.