Media365
Apple’s next major iPhone software update, iOS 18.4, is coming sometime in April. The company’s artificial intelligence services, Apple Intelligence, will benefit majorly from the update, receiving anticipated features such as expanded language support, availability in the European Union markets, reworked Notification Summaries, and a game-changing feature that summarises App Store items. And even though the plans to introduce an AI-infused Siri are likely delayed, the much-needed update could help Apple allay the concerns around its efforts to make Apple Intelligence more competitive against rivals such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.
Available only for the iPhone 16 series, including the iPhone 16e, and the two-year-old iPhone 15 Pro series, Apple Intelligence is set for an overhaul with iOS 18.4. Here is everything new coming to Apple Intelligence:
– Visual Intelligence on more models: With iOS 18.4, Visual Intelligence will come to more iPhone models. Launched initially for the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, Visual Intelligence lets users open the device camera and point it at anything to learn more about what’s in the frame. For instance, Visual Intelligence can tell the breed and related information of a dog in the camera. Apple will expand the feature to the new iPhone 16e, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max with the update.
– Priority Notifications: When Apple introduced Notification Summaries last year with the maiden Apple Intelligence rollout, it landed in hot soup, tackling controversies around the feature suggesting wrong and sometimes critically irrelevant summaries. Apple removed Notification Summaries in the subsequent update. iOS 18.4 will fix it and add a new feature, Priority Notifications to the basket. This feature will display notifications that Apple Intelligence thinks are essential, and try to make them more noticeable for users.
– Doodling in Image Playground: Apple Intelligence’s Image Playground feature, which lets users create AI avatars using different styles, is getting a major upgrade with the next software update. Users will be able to sketch or doodle anything and see their art coming alive using Apple Intelligence in the app. It is similar to Samsung’s Galaxy AI feature, which turns sketches into AI-generated art with the option for animation.
– App Store review summaries: Probably the most overlooked part of Apple’s ecosystem in terms of feature upgrades is the App Store. With iOS 18.4, Apple is changing how the App Store works, giving users relevant information about a listed item. Review summaries will simply summarise reviews posted for an app or game to help users understand whether it is good.
– Launch in the EU: The European Union’s stringent Digital Markets Act stopped Apple from circulating Apple Intelligence in eligible markets as the law required the company to allow third-party app stores. Apple appears to have finally implemented the required changes to its ecosystem, including Apple Intelligence, for the European Union markets and is ready for the rollout with iOS 18.4.
Additionally, Apple will also expand support for more languages for Apple Intelligence services, including Indian English.
