Apple rolls out iOS 18.4 Beta 4 with bug fixes, new features, and nearby interaction support

Apple has started rolling out the fourth developer beta of iOS 18.4 for iPhones, alongside an updated public beta. This update is now available for both developers and beta testers. While it doesn’t introduce any major new features, the iOS 18.4 Beta 4 focuses on resolving issues reported by users. It addresses bugs related to Apple Intelligence, Notifications, and Siri, and introduces support for Nearby Interaction in apps with Live Activity features.

Apple Intelligence Bug Fixes

The iOS 18.4 Beta 4 update addresses several key problems, especially with Apple Intelligence, Apple’s artificial intelligence platform. Users previously encountered difficulties with Siri when attempting to use Apple Intelligence in languages other than English (US). Additionally, some users experienced issues where Apple Intelligence features were unavailable, displaying a “Downloading support…” message. Another problem required users to restart their devices for the AI features to function properly. These issues have been resolved in this update.

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Notification and Siri Improvements

In terms of Notifications, iOS 18.4 Beta 4 fixes a problem that caused notifications to flicker or collapse unexpectedly. The update also resolves an issue where certain Siri suggestions failed to complete in languages other than English.

Moreover, the update includes fixes for issues related to SwiftUI, StoreKit, UIWritingToolsCoordinator, Wi-Fi calling, and Writing Tools. It also addresses known bugs in the Apple Vision Pro app and StoreKit.

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iOS 18.4 Beta 4 New Feature

A notable new feature in iOS 18.4 Beta 4 is the introduction of Nearby Interaction. This feature enables apps with Live Activities to use Ultra Wideband technology for device ranging. In practice, this allows apps to leverage Apple’s real-time notification system to determine the distance between devices.

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Alongside the iOS 18.4 Beta 4, Apple also released updates for other platforms, including the fourth developer betas for iPadOS 18.4, visionOS 2.4, macOS Sequoia 15.4, tvOS 18.4, and watchOS 11.4. The stable release of iOS 18.4 is expected to arrive in April 2025.