After a long wait, Apple has finally released iOS 18.4 Beta 1 for developers today. Unlike iOS 18.3, which was released late last month as a minor bug-fix update, iOS 18.4 Beta is expected to be a much bigger update with new features and changes for both iPhone and iPad. Here’s everything new in iOS 18.4 Beta.
As always, this post will cover Apple Intelligence features for supported devices as well as other features available to all devices. If you’re not interested in Apple Intelligence, click/tap here to jump to the non-Apple Intelligence features section.
Apple Intelligence Features
Apple Intelligence now available in EU
Good news! Apple Intelligence for iPhone and iPad is now available in the EU!
More Languages Support
As previously reported, iOS 18.4 Beta 1 is now available in 10 new languages in addition to U.S. English. The newly added languages include:
- French
- German
- Italian
- Portuguese (Brazil)
- Spanish
- Japanese
- Korean
- Chinese (simplified)
https://x.com/BetaProfiles/status/1892256027820904641
Prioritize Notifications
iOS 18.4 Beta 1 introduces a new Apple Intelligence feature in Notifications - Prioritize Notifications, which displays important notifications at the top of the notification stack on the Lock Screen.
Image Playground Update
iOS 18.4 Beta 1 adds a new Sketch style to Image Playground for Apple Intelligence image generation. Previously, only Animation and Illustration styles were available.
Genmoji Button
The Genmoji button in Messages now features a “Genmoji” label along with an introduction to the feature upon first use.
Siri Apple Intelligence Suggestions
In iOS 18.4, Type to Siri now provides suggestions for actions you can take within apps.
You can activate Type to Siri by double-tapping the Home bar or adding a shortcut to Control Center.
New Animation for Type to Siri
iOS 18.4 Beta has updated the loading animation when making a request via Type to Siri.
https://x.com/BetaProfiles/status/1894381168361181230
Missing Apple Intelligence Features
As I mentioned in a previous post, iOS 18.4 Beta 1 is missing some Apple Intelligence features that were expected in this update. However, these features will eventually arrive with iOS 18.5 (with the first beta coming in April and the official release in May).
The missing Apple Intelligence features include:
- Siri gets smarter, recognizing on-screen content and performing relevant actions.
- Smarter app-specific requests for Siri, like deleting specific emails, moving notes between folders, sharing links via email, opening documents, or summarizing articles.
What’s New in iOS 18.4 Beta 1
Siri Supports Vietnamese
Siri in iOS 18.4 Beta 1 can now converse with you in Vietnamese for the first time. However, Apple Intelligence features for Siri are still unavailable in this language. Apple says they will arrive in a future update.
Apple News+ Food
Apple News+ subscribers who update to iOS 18.4 Beta can now access the new Food section in the Following tab. This section features tens of thousands of recipes, restaurant stories, healthy eating tips, essential kitchen tools, and more from top food publishers, including Allrecipes, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Good Food, and Serious Eats.
Recipes are beautifully designed with full-screen, step-by-step instructions, making it easy to follow along and review ingredients and directions.
Ambient Music
iOS 18.4 Beta 1 adds four new Ambient Music shortcuts to Control Center: Chill, Productivity, Sleep, and Wellbeing.
When activated, iPhone will play random ambient sounds based on the selected category.
Redesigned Mail App on iPad
The redesigned Mail app with email categorization has finally arrived in iPadOS 18.4 Beta and macOS 15.4 Beta.
This change first appeared on iPhone with the iOS 18.2 update released in December last year.
Default Apps
iOS 18.4 Beta 1 also adds the ability to change the default Translate app for all users.
Additionally, if you live in the EU, you can even change the default Navigation app—for example, switching from Apple Maps to Google Maps or any other navigation app you’ve downloaded.
To change the default app, go to Settings → Apps → Default Apps.
Privacy Indication Dots
The orange or green dot that typically appears in the status bar to indicate microphone or camera usage now has a black background underneath for better visibility.
Control Center
Wi-Fi and Cellular Data
The Wi-Fi and Cellular Data icons in Control Center now update in real-time to match the signal strength shown on the status bar.
Brightness & Volume Sliders
In Control Center, when you lower the brightness or volume to the minimum, the sliders now turn white instead of yellow and blue.
Focus Dropdown
The Focus button now has a new drop-down icon.
Back Tap Indicator
When Back Tap is activated on iPhone, there’s now an indicator at the top of the screen for easier identification.
You can enable Back Tap by going to Settings → Accessibility → Touch → Back Tap. Choose either Double Tap or Triple Tap and assign it to the action you want.
Thanks to @dhl2347
View Photo Albums
When browsing Albums in the Photos app, the album editing menu has been updated. The Grid and List view options are now replaced with two clearer buttons: List View and Key Photo. There’s also a new Filter menu and a Sort by Date Modified option.
Apple Podcasts
iOS 18.4 Beta 1 introduces two new Podcasts widgets: Library and Show.
Additionally, tapping your avatar in the Podcasts app now brings up an updated account settings interface, which includes two new sections: Podcasts and Notification settings.
Siri Voices
There are two new Australian Siri voices in iOS 18.4 Beta.
Apple Maps
In Settings → Apps → Maps, a new Preferred Language option has been added.
CarPlay
On certain car models, CarPlay can now display three rows of apps instead of just two.
Thanks to JKidwell86
iPhone 15 Wallpapers Are Back
In iOS 18.3, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro wallpapers were removed from the Wallpaper Gallery, but they have now returned in iOS 18.4 Beta 1.
New Messages Shortcuts Actions
A new Shortcuts action for Messages has been added, allowing users to open a specific conversation.
Apple Vision Pro Guest User with Nearby Devices
With visionOS 2.4 Beta and iOS 18.4 Beta, Vision Pro users can now start a Guest User session using a nearby iPhone or iPad. When a guest puts on the Vision Pro, a popup appears on the owner’s iPhone, letting them choose which apps the guest can access.
Robot Vacuum Support
Apple added code for robot vacuum support in iOS 18.3 Beta, but it wasn’t until iOS 18.4 Beta 1 that you could actually add a robot vacuum to the Home app. This enables Siri control and seamless integration with your other smart home accessories.
For now, only the SwitchBot S10 robot vacuum and mop (which supports the Matter protocol) is compatible.
Image credit Jonathan
Find My Expands to South Korea
Last September, Apple confirmed that the Find My network would be coming to South Korea, and iOS 18.4 Beta has now made it official.
Reported by @aaronp613 on X, Apple users in South Korea can now use the Find My app to locate their devices and personal items (with an AirTag) or share their location with friends and family.
Photos Settings
A new “Show Recently Viewed & Shared” option has been added under Settings → Apps → Photos.
Enabled by default, this setting introduces two new albums—“Recently Viewed” and “Recently Shared”—under the Utilities section in the Photos app.
Smooth Animation for Notifications
Some reports suggest that scrolling through notifications in the Notification Center is now much smoother. I can confirm this myself after comparing it with an iPhone running iOS 18.3.1—it’s noticeably more fluid.
Passwords
The Passwords app now includes a countdown circle (30 seconds) for verification codes, indicating when the code will expire and a new one will be generated.
Safari
In Safari’s website settings, there is a new Connection Security Details menu that allows you to view the security certificates a website is using to ensure it is safe. This is similar to clicking the padlock icon in the address bar of Safari on Mac.
Mac Setup
If you have a Mac running macOS 15.4 or later, you can use an iPhone with iOS 18.4 or later to set up the Mac from scratch when they are near each other. This works similarly to the proximity setup feature available on iPhone and iPad.
Image credit 9to5mac
In the Mail app, when you delete or move an email to another folder, it usually takes you straight to the next email. That’s about to change with a new “Delete or Move Message Action” menu in Settings - Apps - Mail.
This menu offers two options:
- “View Next Message” (selected by default)
- “Don’t Select a Message”, which takes you back to your inbox after deleting or moving an email.
Age Range When Setting Up a New iPhone
A new Age Range selection screen has been added when setting up a new iPhone. This helps configure parental controls and safety features based on the selected age group.
- Child: 12 or younger
- Teen: 13 to 17
- Adult: 18 or older
Image credit u/digidude23
Video Player
In iOS 18.4’s default video player, Apple has added a new animation when tapping the rewind or fast-forward buttons.
https://x.com/BetaProfiles/status/1895115691147362768
Type to Siri
There’s a new Type to Siri option in Settings - Accessibility - Siri. When enabled, it activates Type to Siri when you press and hold the Side button instead of speaking to Siri.
However, it doesn’t seem to be working in iOS 18.4 Beta 1 at the moment.
Safari
Recent Searches
Safari in iOS 18.4 also now displays recent searches when you open a new tab or leave the search bar empty.
App Store Preview Link
When you press and hold an App Store link in Safari, the preview window is now much more streamlined, showing only the name, description, and sometimes a screenshot of the app or game, rather than a full App Store-like interface.
You can try with the App Store links below.
Thanks to @iLes_ss via @alex__chuck
Missing Features in iOS 18.4 Beta 1
Visual Intellligence for iPhone 15 Pro
Apple has confirmed that iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max users will soon get Visual Intelligence, accessible via the Action Button and a new Control Center shortcut. While Apple hasn’t shared an exact release date, they’ve stated it will arrive in a future update. iOS 18.4 Beta 1 doesn’t include this feature yet, but it may appear in upcoming iOS 18.4 Beta releases—so stay tuned.
Apple Vision Pro App for iPhone
Apple has announced that iOS 18.4 will introduce a dedicated Apple Vision Pro app, similar to the Watch app for Apple Watch users. However, this app is not yet available in iOS 18.4 Beta 1.
According to Apple, this app will serve as a hub for discovering popular apps and games, browsing a catalog of over 300 3D movies, exploring Apple Immersive videos, accessing Vision Pro video content in the Apple TV app, and viewing spatial photos, videos, and panoramas in the new Spatial Gallery.
With the My Vision Pro tab, users can get tips on making the most of their Vision Pro and set up features like vision calibration and personalized Spatial Audio.
Follow @BetaProfiles on X , Threads, or Facebook Fanpage to stay updated on the latest Apple beta software news.
That’s it! If you discover any other changes in iOS 18.4 Beta 1, or iPadOS 18.4 Beta 1, feel free to share with us by commenting below 
