Whether you’re sporting a new iPhone 16 or you’ve stuck with your current model, a number of Apple devices can now upgrade to the latest iOS 18.4. The new operating system brings priority notifications to compatible iPhones – a feature that pulls out important notifications and pushes them to the top of the stack.
Priority notifications is an Apple Intelligence feature that identifies and surfaces alerts that matter most, so they’re less likely to get lost in the noise. The new iOS 18.4 update also introduces a fresh batch of eight new emojis. They include a face with bags under its eyes, a fingerprint, a paint splatter, a root vegetable, a leafless tree, a harp, a shovel and the flag of Sark.
Apple came under fire in recent weeks after it announced that it would be delaying its rollout of the more personal and context-aware Siri, powered by Apple Intelligence.
Every phone with an A12 Bionic chip or later can download iOS 18.4, but only the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and the full iPhone 16 range are able to access Apple’s AI features.
If you don’t have one of the newer models, you still get the phone call recorder, which can create transcriptions in the notes app. On top of that, there’s natural language search in the App Store, new buttons in the control centre and the new hearing health features on the AirPods Pro 2. So, which devices can update to iOS 18.4, and which devices get Apple Intelligence?
These are the new emoji available today with iOS 18.4
— Apple Hub (@theapplehub) March 31, 2025
Which one is your favorite? pic.twitter.com/nyMy1dSxCU
When will Apple iOS 18.4 be released?
The new iOS 18.4 update rolled out to devices on Tuesday 1 April. Make sure your iPhone is either fully charged or plugged in before you start the update and that you have enough storage space to download it.
Apple iOS 18.4-supported devices
If you downloaded iOS 18 in September, you’ll also be able to get the free iOS 18.4 update. As before, you need to have an iPhone with an A12 Bionic chip or later. That’s because the A12 has what Apple calls a neural engine. Any iPhone without this chip or better would be too slow to run the new operating system efficiently.
The iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR are the oldest iPhones that support iOS 18. Here’s the list of compatible iPhones in full:
- iPhone SE, 2nd gen: From £179 (refurbished), Argos.co.uk
- iPhone XS, XS Max and XR: From £128.99 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 11 series: From £159.75 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 12 series: From £189.75 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 13 series: From £425, Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 14 series: From £495, Argos.co.uk
- iPhone 15 series: From £598, Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 16 series: From £737, Amazon.co.uk
Apple Intelligence-supported devices
Here’s where things get more complicated. While the iPhones we’ve just mentioned can all upgrade to iOS 18.4, only the very latest iPhones can access the new Apple Intelligence features.
This is because Apple Intelligence runs mostly on-device, and your iPhone will need a lot of specialised processing power to use it. That means you’ll need a Mac or iPad with an M1 chip or later. The pool of iPhones that support Apple Intelligence is even smaller.
You’ll need an iPhone with an A17 Pro chip or better. Besides the newly released iPhone 16 range, including the iPhone 16e, which uses the new A18 chip, the only iPhones with Apple Intelligence are the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The base iPhone 15 won’t get Apple Intelligence because it uses the older A16 chipset.
Here’s the full list of iPhone and Apple devices compatible with Apple Intelligence:
iPhones
- iPhone 16 series: From £737, Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 15 Pro: From £883.56, Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 15 Pro Max: From £1,049, Argos.co.uk
iPads
- iPad Pro (M1 and later): From £524.99 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- iPad Air (M1 and later): From £362 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
Macs
- iMac (M1 and later): From £949.99 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- Mac mini (M1 and later): From £315 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- Mac Studio (M1 and later): From £2,099, Apple.com
- Mac Pro M2 Ultra: From £7,199, Apple.com
Best iPhone 16 deals
The best way to buy the new iPhone 16 is to buy it directly from Apple. You can get it with zero per cent finance, spreading the cost over 24 months with no interest to pay.
The base iPhone 16 costs £799, or £33.29 per month, while the top-end iPhone 16 Pro Max costs £1,199, or £49.95 per month. Pair your new iPhone with a SIM-only deal from one of these carriers to get the best value deal on the new iPhone 16.
- Smarty– From £12 per month for 120GB of data
- giffgaff– From £10 per month for 20GB of data
- id Mobile – From £10 per month for 60GB of data
- Voxi– From £10 per month for 45GB of data
- Lebara – From £5 per month for 5GB of data
If you’re mid-contract or an existing customer looking to upgrade, it’s always worth checking out your current provider’s deals on the new iPhone 16. The four big networks, Vodafone, EE, O2, and Three have some iPhone 16 deals. The major carriers offer all kinds of bundle deals, like free Disney+ subscriptions, trade-in offers and brand freebies. They can work out cheaper than a SIM-only plan if you know you’ll make use of the extras.
Looking for a new smartphone? We’ve rounded up the best phones from Apple, Samsung and more
