Apple Seeds Second iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 Release Candidate With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music and More

Apple today seeded the second release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week a few days after Apple released the first RC.

Generic iOS 18
iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update.

With iOS 18.4, Apple is adding the Priority Notifications Apple Intelligence feature, which is designed to determine which of your notifications are the most important, highlighting them in an easy-to-see dedicated section on the Lock Screen.

The update includes a new Apple News+ Food section for ‌Apple News‌+ subscribers, plus it adds the Sketch style to Image Playground so you can generate images that look hand drawn. ‌Apple Intelligence‌ is also available in more languages, including French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified), along with localized English for Singapore and India.

There are new emoji characters, and a dedicated Vision Pro app that allows Vision Pro owners to find and download content, manage the headset, control guest experiences, and more, right from the iPhone.

Mail Categorization has expanded to the iPad, and there's a new Ambient Music feature for playing relaxing music from Control Center. There are a number of other smaller features too, with details available in our iOS 18.4 features guide.

Apple plans to release iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in early April, potentially as soon as next week.

Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes

Sunday August 31, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 17 Pro: 5 Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 1, 2025 4:35 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series this month, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming to...
xiaomi apple ad india

Apple and Samsung Push Back Against Xiaomi's Bold India Ads

Friday August 29, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple and Samsung have reportedly issued cease-and-desist notices to Xiaomi in India for an ad campaign that directly compares the rivals' devices to Xiaomi's products. The two companies have threatened the Chinese vendor with legal action, calling the ads "disparaging." Ads have appeared in local print media and on social media that take pot shots at the competitors' premium offerings. One...
iOS 18 on iPhone Arrow Down

Apple Preparing iOS 18.7 for iPhones as iOS 26 Release Date Nears

Sunday August 31, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 18.7 for compatible iPhone models, according to evidence of the update in the MacRumors visitor logs. We expect iOS 18.7 to be released in September, alongside iOS 26. The update will likely include fixes for security vulnerabilities, but little else. iOS 18.7 will be one of the final updates ever released for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR,...
iPhone eSIM Feature

Apple Hints at iPhone 17 Models Lacking SIM Card Slot in More Countries

Sunday August 31, 2025 8:52 am PDT by
Another hint has surfaced that Apple is preparing to eliminate the physical SIM card tray from iPhones in more countries this year. In particular, a source familiar with the matter has informed MacRumors that retail employees at Apple Authorized Resellers in the EU are required to complete a training course related to iPhones with eSIM support by Friday, September 5. There are 27 countries...

Top Rated Comments

Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
23 weeks ago
This time we get proper release notes.

Apple Intelligence (All iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max)


* Priority notifications appear at the top of your notifications, highlighting important notifications that may require your immediate attention
* Sketch is now available as an additional style option in Image Playground, allowing you to create gorgeous sketch drawings
* Apple Intelligence features support 8 additional languages and 2 additional English locales, including English (India, Singapore), French (France, Canada), German (Germany), Italian (Italy), Japanese (Japan), Korean (South Korea), Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, and Spanish (Spain, Latin America, US)



Apple Vision Pro App


* The new Apple Vision Pro app, automatically installed for users with Apple Vision Pro, helps you discover new content, spatial experiences, and quickly access information about your device



Apple News+


* Recipes from some of the world’s best recipe publishers are now available on Apple News+
* Recipe Catalog allows you to browse or search to find the perfect dish and save it to your Saved Recipes
* Cooking mode lets you easily follow step-by-step directions
* The Food section also includes stories about restaurants, kitchen tips, healthy eating, and more



Photos


* New filters to show or hide items that are not contained in an album, or synced from a Mac or PC, in the Library view in Photos
* Reorder items in the Media Types and Utilities collections in Photos
* Consistent filtering options in all collections, including the ability to sort by oldest or newest first in Photos
* Option to sort albums by Date Modified in Photos
* Ability to disable “Recently Viewed” and “Recently Shared” collections in Photos Settings
* Hidden photos are no longer included for import to Mac or a PC if Use Face ID is enabled in Photos settings



This update also includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:


* Safari recent search suggestions help you quickly get back to previous search topics when starting a new query
* Setup Assistant streamlines steps parents need to take to create a Child Account for a kid in their family, and enables child-appropriate default settings if parents prefer to complete setting up a Child Account later
* Screen Time App Limits persist even after a child uninstalls and reinstalls an app
* App Store includes summaries for user reviews so you can get helpful insights from other users at a glance
* Pause and resume of an app download or update on App Store without losing progress
* New widgets for Podcasts including a Followed Shows widget to track your favorite shows and a Library widget to get to your most used sections, such as Latest Episodes, Saved, and Downloaded
* Ambient Music offers the ability to instantly play music from Control Center, giving access to a set of hand-curated playlists that offer soundtracks for daily life
* Apple Fitness+ Collections can now be added to Library
* Matter-compatible robot vacuum cleaners can be controlled in the Home app as well as be added to scenes and automations
* Support for 10 new system languages including Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Windoes Avatar
23 weeks ago

Support for 10 new system languages including Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu
Oh Canada be aware now
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
er2429 Avatar
23 weeks ago
Where is lossless bros
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lanceuppercut47 Avatar
23 weeks ago

Bluetooth fix coming for 15 Pro?
Also, hopefully a make it less ugly fix for 17 Pro/Pro Max?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
uczcret Avatar
23 weeks ago
Build number is 22E240. IPSW is up on the developer portal.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dog Bone Malone Avatar
23 weeks ago
I had a sneaky feeling there would be an RC2. My 16+ has been running like a bag of nails since RC1. Especially the random full reboots when using 'Find My'.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)