On Friday, Apple launched the iOS 18.4 Beta 1 update for iPhones, introducing a host of new features, notably those enhanced by Apple Intelligence, the company’s artificial intelligence suite. A key highlight of this update is the Priority Notifications feature, which Apple initially showcased during WWDC 2024 in June while unveiling iOS 18. This feature analyzes notifications to identify and showcase what it deems important in a dedicated section on the iPhone lock screen.
iOS 18.4 Beta 1 Update: What’s New
According to Apple, the Priority Notifications function utilizes on-device AI to assess the content of incoming notifications. The company stresses that this approach ensures user privacy while effectively determining the significance of each notification. When this feature is enabled, only prioritized notifications will be visible, but users can swipe up to access the full notification list.
By default, this feature is disabled. Users can enable it by navigating to Settings > Notifications > Prioritize Notifications.
iOS 18.4 Beta 1 Update for iPhone is Now Available for Download
Another notable addition in the iOS 18.4 Beta 1 update is the Ambient Music option found in the Control Centre. This feature offers a randomly selected assortment of sounds from four categories: Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing. Users, however, do not have the ability to select specific tracks; they can only view and skip the currently playing music through the music player integrated within the Dynamic Island.
Additions to the Image Playground app include a new Sketch style, which complements the existing Animation and Illustration styles. This feature, previously available in the Image Wand app, now provides users with three style choices within the Image Playground.
As anticipated, the update extends support for Apple Intelligence to additional languages and regions. It now accommodates languages including Chinese (Simplified), English (India, Singapore), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish.
Additional minor updates feature new text for Genmoji in the emoji keyboard, an option to select a preferred language in Apple Maps, new Library and Shows widgets for the home screen, and the ability to set a default Translation app.
