{"id":822,"date":"2025-02-22T02:42:19","date_gmt":"2025-02-22T02:42:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/blog\/?p=822"},"modified":"2025-02-22T02:42:19","modified_gmt":"2025-02-22T02:42:19","slug":"whats-new-in-ios-18-4-beta-the-most-interesting-changes-and-improvements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/blog\/archives\/822","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s New in iOS 18.4 Beta: The Most Interesting Changes and Improvements"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/search?keyword=Apple&amp;post_type=product\">Apple<\/a>&nbsp;has now released the first beta of iOS 18.4 to developers, and while we&#8217;re still awaiting some major Apple Intelligence features, there are many noteworthy updates in this release. Here\u2019s a summary of the key changes, organized for clarity:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.macrumors.com\/t\/UcG9QOVkGF9BeRCiOjWpIOvqL38=\/800x0\/article-new\/2025\/01\/Generic-iOS-18.4-Feature.jpg?lossy\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Enhancements in Notifications and Communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Priority Notifications: The Wiser Approach to Notifications Handling<\/strong><br>iOS 18.4 introduces Priority Notifications, helping you focus on the most crucial alerts. By default, it\u2019s off, but you can activate it under Settings > Notifications > Enable Priority Notifications. Once enabled, your phone uses Apple Intelligence to display important messages in a dedicated area of the Lock Screen.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mail Categorization on iPadOS 18.4<\/strong><br>The Mail app on iPadOS 18.4 gets an upgrade, automatically sorting incoming emails. Important emails will be in a Primary section, while others are categorized into Social, Deals, and Product Orders for easier management.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>New Voices for Siri<\/strong><br>Siri adds two new Australian voices in iOS 18.4, giving users more options for personalizing interactions with Apple\u2019s virtual assistant.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shortcuts Update: Convenient Access to Conversations<\/strong><br>A new feature in Shortcuts allows users to set up actions to open specific conversations in the Messages app, making automation even more useful.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. News and Content Consumption Enhanced<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Apple News+ is Adding a Food Category<\/strong><br>iOS 18.4 introduces a Food section in Apple News+, featuring a wide range of recipes, restaurant stories, and healthful food ideas from top food publishers. Users can explore a Recipe Catalog and even access a step-by-step Cook Mode. Favorite recipes can be saved for offline access.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&gt;&gt;&gt;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/detail\/1747149\/A2C0457640000\">A2C0457640000<\/a>&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/brand\/21\/LEP\">LEP<\/a>&nbsp;HWID 370001_SYA1<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Upgrades in Control Center and Sound<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ambient Music Suitable for Any Emotion<\/strong><br>Ambient Music is now part of Control Center in iOS 18.4. Users can choose from four categories: Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing, each providing a selection of soothing sounds. You can easily switch between them with a tap, though specific songs can\u2019t be chosen directly from Control Center.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cellular Signal in Control Center<\/strong><br>The Cellular toggle now displays signal strength with clear, simple bars to better indicate connection quality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Visuals and UI Changes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Image Playground is Going Sketch Style<\/strong><br>iOS 18.4 introduces a new Sketch style in the Image Playground feature, providing a hand-drawn look. Users can easily switch between the different styles using the &#8220;+&#8221; button in the app. The Winter Holidays theme has also been replaced with a fresh Spring theme.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>More Noticeable Privacy Dots<\/strong><br>iOS 18.4 enhances the visibility of privacy indicator dots, showing when the camera or microphone is in use. The dots are now positioned on the left side of the menu bar and are more noticeable against a black background.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Genmoji Icon is Getting a Label<\/strong><br>The Genmoji icon on the emoji keyboard now has a label (&#8220;Genmoji&#8221;) to make it easier to find and create your own custom Genmoji characters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Maps and Location Service Updates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Preferred Language in Apple Maps<\/strong><br>Users can now set their preferred language for Apple Maps, offering more personalization for navigation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Support for &#8216;My Number Card&#8217; in Wallet in Japan<\/strong><br>iOS 18.4 introduces support for Japan&#8217;s My Number Card Digital IDs in the Wallet app. This feature will be fully available by Spring 2025, allowing over 100 million Japanese residents to store their national ID cards securely on their iPhones.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. CarPlay and Default Apps Updates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>CarPlay Home Screen Update<\/strong><br>Some CarPlay users will now see a third row of icons, providing quicker access to apps without needing to scroll.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Default Translation and Navigation Apps<\/strong><br>Users can now choose a different translation app as the default in Settings > Default Apps. EU users also have the option to select a third-party navigation app instead of Apple Maps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&gt;&gt;&gt;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/detail\/1747145\/SP502626SF\">SP502626SF<\/a>&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/brand\/5\/Ticwatch\">Ticwatch<\/a>&nbsp;C2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Features for Enterprise and Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mobile Device Management (MDM) Improvements<\/strong><br>iOS 18.4 brings useful updates for MDM, including the ability to disable Apple Intelligence reports, Mail smart replies, and Safari\u2019s content summarization. Admins can also prevent changes to default calling and messaging apps.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Vision Pro App and Guest Mode<\/strong><br>A new Vision Pro app allows users to manage their headset, including app downloads, Personalized Spatial Audio adjustments, and serial number tracking. The app also enables Guest Mode management, making it easy for others to try the headset with limited access.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Bug Fixes and Known Issues<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Wi-Fi Calling Bug<\/strong><br>Apple acknowledges a bug affecting Wi-Fi calling for US Cellular customers on iOS 18.4. If you&#8217;re impacted, it\u2019s advised to revert to iOS 18.3 until the issue is resolved.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When Can We Expect iOS 18.4?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Apple plans to release iOS 18.4 to the public in April 2025, so keep an eye out for the stable version when it\u2019s ready!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Apple&nbsp;has now released the first beta of iOS 18.4 to developers, and while we&#8217;re still awaiting some major Apple Intelligence features, there are many noteworthy updates in this release. Here\u2019s a summary of the key changes, organized for clarity: 1. Enhancements in Notifications and Communication 2. News and Content Consumption Enhanced &gt;&gt;&gt;A2C0457640000&nbsp;for&nbsp;LEP&nbsp;HWID 370001_SYA1 3. Upgrades [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[7],"class_list":["post-822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-apple"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=822"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":823,"href":"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822\/revisions\/823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.batteryone.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}