Apple unveils 8 new emojis and more features with iOS 18.4 update

Apple is rolling out its latest update and it comes with new emojis, intelligence features and more.

The update, iOS 18.4, was released Monday. In addition to the eight confirmed emojis, Apple announced that developers have released an initial set of Apple Intelligence features on Apple Vision Pro in English.

“Starting today, with the availability of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4, Apple Intelligence features are now available in many new languages,” Apple wrote in the news release. “In addition, iPhone and iPad users in the EU have access to Apple Intelligence features for the first time.”

The update also comes with recipes in Apple News+ and ways users can organize and filter their photo libraries, Apple said on its support website. 

Here’s what you need to know.

Eight new emojis

The iOS 18.4 update introduced eight new emojis, including:

1. A face with bags under its eyes
2. Fingerprint
3. Splatter
4. Harp
5. Flag of Sark
6. Root vegetable
7. Shovel
8. Leafless tree

The emoji announcement came just before rumors about new emojis inspired by popular female musicians began circulating. The social media posts claimed Apple was releasing emojis designed to look like stars such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Ariana Grande, among others. The report has since been debunked, according to Sportskeeda.

What’s new for Apple Vision Pro users?

According to Apple, Vision Pro users can now proofread, rewrite and summarize text using the writing tools feature, compose text from scratch using ChatGPT, and create emojis using Genmoji.

Vision Pro users can also use Image Playground for the first time. The app, powered by Apple Intelligence, lets users turn descriptions, concepts or people from their photo library into new images.

New Apple Intelligence features announced

According to Apple, all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pros, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max now have new Apple Intelligence features. 

Priority notifications now appear above all other notifications, “highlighting important notifications that may require your immediate attention,” Apple said on its support website.

Developers have also made Sketch available as a style option in Image Playground, which allows users to create sketch-style drawings.

Apple Intelligence features now support eight more languages and two additional English locales, including English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, simplified Chinese and Spanish.

Recipes and dishes on Apple News+

According to Apple, the Apple News+ app now includes recipes, a searchable catalog users can find and save recipes from, as well as cooking mode with step-by-step directions.

The food section of Apple News+ also includes stories about restaurants and tips.

New search and sort filters in the Apple Photos app

Apple announced on its support website that the Apple Photos app has been loaded with new search and sorting filters. The filters allow users to show or hide items that are not contained in an album or synced from a Mac or PC in the library view.

Users can also reorder items in the media types and utilities collections and sort by oldest or newest first.

Users can now sort albums by the date they were modified and disable the “recently viewed” and “recently shared” collections in settings.

Lastly, developers have made sure hidden photos are no longer included when users import to Mac or a PC, but they must have “use face ID” enabled in settings.

Searching on Safari 

Safari users can now use the “recent search” suggestion feature to quickly get back to previous search topics when starting a new query, Apple said.

New Setup Assistant features and fool-proofing Screen Time

Setup Assistant has been adjusted to streamline the steps parents take when creating a child's account, Apple said. The setup assistant puts child-appropriate default settings into place in case users need to finish personalizing a child's settings later.

For families using the Screen Time app, limits remain in place even if a child uninstalls and reinstalls an app, Apple said.

App Store updates

Those looking for apps in the App Store can see summaries from user reviews to get a quick look at what others are saying, Apple said.

Users who are downloading or updating apps can also pause and resume the process without losing progress.

Home, podcasts, music, and new languages

Apple Podcasts users now have access to a widget displaying their followed shows, latest episodes, saved, and downloaded episodes.

Ambient music users can now play music from the control center, giving them access to hand-curated playlists, Apple said.

Apple Fitness+ collections can now be added to the library and some robot vacuum cleaners can be controlled in the Home app.

Lastly, support now comes in 10 new system languages such as Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at [email protected].