Latest iOS 18.4 beta is full of great features that you can access now
Thanks to the release of iOS 18.4 beta 2, we know some of the new features that iPhone users should be looking forward to seeing when iOS 18.4 is released possibly as soon as early next month. We've already discussed the exciting news that iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max users will be getting the Visual Intelligence feature found on the iPhone 16 series when using the Camera Control button.
iOS 18.4 beta 2 includes Visual Intelligence for iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
Since neither the iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max has the Camera Control button, Visual Intelligence will be found as an option to be used for the Action Button located above the volume controls on the left side of certain iPhone models. That's where you will find the feature on the newly released iPhone 16e model.
Visual Intelligence uses ChatGPT to show you information about something you find interesting. | Image credit-PhoneArena
Visual Intelligence allows users to conduct a Google Search on stores, animals, plants, restaurants, and just about any item that is in front of your iPhone's camera or seen in a photograph. You can also ask ChatGPT for more information about what you can see in your camera's viewfinder. If this happens to be a restaurant, you'll be able to check for its hours of operation, see a menu, make a reservation or place an order.
If you have an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPhone 16e and already have the Action Button opening up an app or feature and prefer not to access Visual Intelligence using the Action Button, you can add Lock Screen access to Visual Intelligence by following these steps in iOS 18.4 beta 2:
- Click the side button on the right side of your iPhone to get to the Lock Screen and long-press on the display.
- Press the minus sign (-) on the Lock Screen control you want to replace with Visual Intelligence. That should make it disappear.
- Press the plus sign (+) to view your options. Look for Visual Intelligence and tap on it. Hit the blue "Done" button in the top right corner.
- Now, you can access Visual Intelligence from the Lock Screen on your iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16e.
Another option is to use the new Control Center toggle for Visual Intelligence that for iPhone models that support Apple Intelligence. This toggle is added to the Control Center in iOS 18.4 beta 2 which means that it should be available in iOS 18.4 when it is released. Swipe down along the right edge of the display to open the Control Center. Long-press on the bottom of the screen until the word Control appears. Tap on it, scroll down to Apple Intelligence & Siri, and tap on Visual Intelligence. The icon will appear on the bottom Control Center page.
With iOS 18.4 beta 2 you can add Visual Intelligence to the Control Center. | Image credit-PhoneArena
Spread the word! New emojis are coming to the iPhone with iOS 18.4. As the latest beta release reveals, seven new emoji are on the way:
- Tired-looking face with bags under the eyes.
- Root vegetable.
- Fingerprint.
- Harp.
- Tree without leafs.
- Purple splatter (think Nickelodeon).
- Shovel.
In iOS 18.4 beta 2, Apple made the Prioritize Notifications feature better by allowing users to disable it on an app-by-app basis. These notifications deemed important to you by Apple Intelligence will "show up in a separate section on the Lock Screen" so you can see important notifications that you might have missed. The version of this feature in iOS 18.3 only gives iPhone users the ability to enable or disable the feature.
You can choose which apps will prioritize notifications with the iOS 18.4 beta 2 update. | Image credit-PhoneArena
Other new features that compatible iPhone users can expect to receive in iOS 18.4 include RCS Messaging support for those iPhone owners who use Google Fi for voice and data. If you're a Google Fi subscriber, you will want to go to Settings > Apps > Messages for Google Fi subscribers and toggle on RCS Messaging. With this toggle turned on you'll be able to get read receipts, typing notifications, send and receive high-quality pictures and videos even when messaging with someone using RCS on an Android device. This toggle is available now on iOS 18.4 beta 2.
Possibly offering a clue to what we will see from "Personal Siri" in iOS 18.5, the latest beta release adds new Shortcut actions for some of Apple's own apps including Safari, Apple Maps, Apple News and others. The new Shortcut actions for Apple Maps, for example, include getting the halfway point between your starting point and destination, get parked car information, and more. These are questions that Siri will probably be able to answer once Apple adds "Personal Siri" to the iPhone. Apple might not be finished updating Siri until iOS 20 arrives in 2027.
Chganges to the Shortcut app in iOS 18.4 beta 2 hint at things we might see from Personal Siri. | Image credit-PhoneArena
If you are a member of the Apple Beta Program, you can install iOS 18.4 Beta 2 by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
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