Apple has officially begun rolling out iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, bringing a mix of new tools, user experience enhancements, and subtle system improvements. While the update doesn’t drastically overhaul the mobile experience, it continues Apple’s trend of layering in quality-of-life features across its supported devices.
Among the most talked-about additions is Priority Notifications, which now sorts important alerts to the top of your notification stack, aiming to reduce missed messages or reminders that actually matter. Whether it’s a time-sensitive task, message, or calendar alert, this change could improve how users engage with their most relevant app activity.
Another noteworthy inclusion is the Sketch Style in Image Playground. This allows users to apply hand-drawn aesthetics to their photos or AI-generated images. While it might feel like a small update, it expands creative options for those using the Playground feature across iPhone and iPad.
For subscribers of Apple News+, a new Recipes section has been added. This includes a catalog of curated dishes from various publishers, a step-by-step cooking mode, and the ability to save your favorite finds. It’s joined by a revamped Food section that features restaurant news, nutritional advice, and kitchen tips—all delivered within the News app.
Apple’s push into spatial computing also gets a nod with the new Vision Pro app. Automatically installed for users of the Vision Pro headset, the app acts as a hub for discovering immersive content and managing device-specific settings.
Updates to the Photos app offer more control over how your media library is displayed. You can now filter out synced or unorganized content, reorder media type collections, sort albums by modification date, and disable collections like “Recently Viewed” and “Recently Shared.” Hidden photos are also excluded from device imports when Face ID is active in Photos settings—an extra layer of privacy for those who use secure albums.
Beyond the headlining features, iOS 18.4 also introduces a collection of system-wide tweaks:
- Safari now shows recent search suggestions as you type, helping you resume previous queries faster.
- The Setup Assistant simplifies the process of creating child accounts, including better default settings for younger users.
- Screen Time has been adjusted so that deleting and reinstalling apps doesn’t reset usage limits.
- App Store updates include user review summaries and support for pausing and resuming downloads without restarting them.
- Podcasts get new widgets for Following and Library access, and Ambient Music now lets you start playlists directly from Control Center.
- Apple Fitness+ Collections are now savable in your Library.
- Support for robot vacuums compatible with Matter expands Home app integration.
- System language support now includes Bangla, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, and several others.
Despite the broad availability of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 across a wide range of Apple hardware, some features—particularly those under the Apple Intelligence umbrella—require newer devices. Full functionality is only available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 series, and iPads with M1 or newer chips.
Apple also addressed over 60 security vulnerabilities in this release, making it a strongly recommended update for all users from a security standpoint alone.
The update is compatible with all devices currently running iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, ranging from the iPhone SE (2nd generation) up to the latest iPhone 16 Pro Max, as well as iPads starting from the 6th generation and newer.
If you’re someone who relies on notifications, image creation tools, or digital media organization, this update adds more flexibility and control to your daily iOS experience. While not a revolutionary release, iOS 18.4 reinforces Apple’s approach to iterative refinements that aim to make the OS smoother, more personal, and slightly smarter.
