Apple’s iOS 18.4 Is Bringing Big Changes for iPhone Users

We’re still fresh off the heels of iOS 18.3, which released on January 28, and already we’re getting leaks on what to expect from iOS 18.4. That’s good news to me, because the biggest thing about the lukewarm iOS 18.3 release was removing an Apple Intelligence screw-up that in turn, was the biggest thing about iOS 18.2.

Waiting for Apple Intelligence to go from party trick to useful trick to integral component will come in fits, bits, and stages. We’re still early on in the process, but these leaked updates—if they turn out to be true—feel like we’ll see a lurch of progress when it releases in April.

go on, give us the juice

Merging Apple Intelligence’s, well, uh, smarts with Siri was always the game plan. Apart, the two are each somehow less than a half, each one frustratingly compromised and often unhelpful. With iOS 18.4, we’re expecting more integration to bring the following long-awaited capabilities to Siri:

“Awareness of your personal context enables Siri to help you in ways that are unique to you,” reads Apple’s page on Apple Intelligence. “Can’t remember if a friend shared that recipe with you in a note, a text, or an email? Need your passport number while booking a flight?

“Siri can use its knowledge of the information on your device to help find what you’re looking for, without compromising your privacy.”

On-screen awareness, as Apple terms it, is also a major capability granted to Siri by Apple Intelligence. When you give a command to Siri, it’ll be able to use the context of what you’re looking at on the screen to determine what you mean.

Apple gives the example of a friend texting you their address. You can just say, “Hey Siri, add this address to their contact card,” and it’s done.

Cross-app functionality is another anticipated feature. “Seamlessly take action in and across apps with Siri,” says Apple. “You can make a request like ‘Send the email I drafted to April and Lilly’ and Siri knows which email you’re referencing and which app it’s in.

“And Siri can take actions across apps, so after you ask Siri to enhance a photo for you by saying ‘Make this photo pop,’ you can ask Siri to drop it in a specific note in the Notes app — without lifting a finger.”

ooh la la

Because it can’t (and shouldn’t) go on being English-only forever, Apple says Apple Intelligence will pick up a few more languages in iOS 18.4. Currently, it’s only available in English (Australian, Canadian, Irish, New Zealander, South African, British, and American dialects).

They’re being coy about which ones will appear in April’s update, but do say that support for Chinese, English (Indian and Singaporean dialects), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese, and “other languages” is coming throughout the year.

Also, up through now, Apple Intelligence has only worked as long as you weren’t in the European Union with an Apple account country/region also set to “EU,” but beginning with iOS 18.4, that restriction will be lifted.

But remember, you only get Apple Intelligence if you’re using an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any model in the iPhone 16 family. And, presumably, the iPhone 17 expected later this year. But by the time it’s announced, you can probably just ask Siri and Apple Intelligence about it.