# iOS 18.4: New Features Coming to Your iPhone
Apple is preparing to launch iOS 18.4 to iPhone users in just a few weeks. If you haven’t been following the beta version, you may be overlooking some exciting new functionalities. Here’s an in-depth look at four notable additions that will improve your iPhone experience when the update arrives next month.
## Priority Notifications
A standout feature in iOS 18.4 is **Priority Notifications**. This improvement utilizes Apple Intelligence to automatically prioritize your most crucial notifications, ensuring you stay updated on vital information.
Apple explains this feature as follows:
> “Apple Intelligence can display important notifications in a distinct section on the Lock Screen, so you can catch up on missed updates. You can still swipe up to see all notifications.”
Users can adjust their Priority Notifications in the Settings app, enabling them to select which apps are part of this prioritized list. It’s essential to note that this feature is available on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and all iPhone 16 models.
## Ambient Music
Another compelling feature introduced in iOS 18.4 is **Ambient Music**. This update adds four new toggles in the Control Center, allowing users to play ambient music effortlessly. The available options are:
– Wellbeing
– Chill
– Productivity
– Sleep
These toggles can easily be added to the Control Center, assigned to your iPhone’s Action button, or positioned on your Lock Screen. Each toggle corresponds to a default Apple Music playlist, but users can personalize it with any playlist from their Music library. The playback interface is streamlined, featuring essential controls for play/pause, skipping tracks, adjusting volume, and utilizing AirPlay.
## New Emoji
iOS 18.4 beta 2 also introduces an exciting array of **new emoji** for users to express their emotions. The update features seven additional emoji:
– Face with bags under eyes
– Fingerprint
– Leafless tree
– Root vegetable
– Harp
– Shovel
– Splatter
Although the significance of new emoji may vary with the advent of customizable emoji options, they still present users with fresh ways to visually communicate.
## Apple News+ Food
The Apple News app is receiving a substantial upgrade with the addition of **Apple News+ Food**. This new feature compiles thousands of curated recipes from leading publishers, displayed in a sleek and user-friendly interface.
According to Apple:
> “With the new Food feature, users can explore stories curated by Apple News editors, and browse, search, and filter tens of thousands of recipes in the Recipe Catalog — with new recipes added daily. The elegantly designed recipe format facilitates easy review of ingredients and directions, while a new cook mode brings step-by-step instructions to full screen. Users can also save their favorite recipes for offline access.”
This feature aims to simplify meal preparation and enhance the cooking experience for users, providing a trove of culinary inspiration at their fingertips.
## Wrap Up
Alongside these impressive features, iOS 18.4 will introduce numerous other enhancements that will enrich the overall user experience. Apple has announced that the official release will take place in April. If you’re currently testing the beta version, we’d love to hear your favorite features and updates in the comments below.
For more in-depth information on the iOS 18.4 update, check out our dedicated guide.
Stay tuned for the launch and prepare to discover all the new functionalities your iPhone will soon possess!
