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Apple is constantly working to improve its software and provide new features. The first beta version of iOS 18.4 for iPhones will soon be released. This update brings some exciting new features that will make your iPhone experience even better. Below you will find everything you need to know about iOS 18.4 - from improvements to Siri to new languages to practical features for the Home app.
With iOS 18.3 expected to be released to everyone soon, the next major beta version is just around the corner. Apple has announced that it will release iOS 18.4 in April 2025. With this update, the company will introduce several new features and improvements. The main highlights revolve around Apple Intelligence, new emoji, and the ability to change more default apps in the EU. There are also hints of exciting updates to the Home app. Here are the details.
Apple Intelligence for Siri
With iOS 18.4, Siri will be significantly more powerful thanks to Apple Intelligence, a technology that helps Siri understand more and perform more complex tasks. Some of the planned improvements include:
- Screen Awareness: Siri can better recognize what is happening on your iPhone screen and suggest actions based on that.
- Context-based understanding: Siri learns more about your personal usage style and can therefore provide more precise recommendations and answers.
- App-specific control: You can use Siri specifically for certain apps to execute specific commands.
However, these new features are only available on Apple Intelligence compatible devices.
Apple Intelligence in other languages
Apple will make Apple Intelligence available in more languages in iOS 18.4. Currently, this technology supports English in some regions such as the US, Canada and the UK. Starting in April, Apple says new languages, including:
- English (India and Singapore)
- Chinese
- German
- French
- Spanish and more.
Not all languages will be available immediately, some will follow later in 2025. However, as things stand, German should be one of the next candidates. However, we will not know for sure until the next beta is released.
Improved notification summaries
The notification summaries feature was temporarily disabled in iOS 18.3 due to issues with inaccurate summaries. However, Apple has announced that the feature will return in a revised version in iOS 18.4. Summarized notifications will remain visually recognizable by their italicized display. The update is intended to make the summaries more precise and reliable.
New Emoji
As with previous updates, iOS 18.4 will also include a number of new emoji. According to the Unicode Consortium, you can look forward to the following new additions:
- face with bags under the eyes
- fingerprint
- tree without leaves
- root vegetables
- harp
- shovel
- Splashes and more.
These new emojis expand your options for creative messaging and expressing emotions.
standard apps in the EU
One important change affects users in the European Union. With iOS 18.4, it is expected to be possible to change default apps for navigation and translation. This means that, for example, you can set Google Maps or Waze as the default navigation app instead of Apple Maps. For translations, you can choose Google Translate or Microsoft Translator if you don't want to use Apple's own translation app. This feature will be available in the Default Apps section of Settings, which was introduced with iOS 18.2.
Support for robot vacuum cleaners in the Home app
The Home app could be expanded with iOS 18.4 to include support for robot vacuum cleaners. This allows you to control the most important functions of your robot vacuum cleaner directly from your iPhone. These include:
- Control of power and cleaning mode
- Checking the charge level
- Integration into automations and scenes
Siri will also be integrated into this feature. For example, you can tell your iPhone to "clean the living room" and the robot vacuum cleaner will do the job. However, voice input will probably only be available in English when it launches. This feature was already seen in the code of iOS 18.3, but has not yet been released.
iOS 18.4: What to expect in the next update
iOS 18.4 brings many useful features and improvements to your iPhone. Apple is focusing on smarter technologies such as Apple Intelligence, greater language support and the ability to change more default apps in the EU. There are also new emoji and practical features for the Home app that make your home even smarter. The beta version of iOS 18.4 will be available soon. If you like trying out new features, it's worth installing the beta. Keep an eye out for further announcements from Apple so you don't miss any details. (Image: Apple)
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