Apple Seeds Second Public Betas of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Seeds Second Public Betas of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4

Apple today seeded the second public betas of upcoming iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4 updates, allowing public beta testers to try out the new features in the software ahead of its public launch. The public betas come a day after Apple provided the beta updates to developers.

iOS 18
Public beta testers can download the updates from the Settings app on each device after opting into the beta through Apple's public beta testing website.

The new software for iPhone and iPad includes Priority Notifications, an Apple Intelligence feature designed to show you your most important notifications first, plus it adds a new Sketch style for Image Playground on all ‌Apple Intelligence‌ devices.

There is a new Apple News+ Food section for ‌Apple News‌+ subscribers that aggregates recipes, food stories, and tips for healthy eating, plus an Ambient Music feature for playing chill music from Control Center. On the ‌iPad‌ and Mac, the new updates introduce Mail Categorization, a feature that was previously limited to the iPhone.

In beta 2, Apple added new emoji characters and debuted the Vision Pro app for iPhone. The update also brings Visual Intelligence to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

An outline of all of the new features in iOS 18.4 can be found in our iOS 18.4 features guide.

Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia

Popular Stories

iPhone Duo Trio

Here's What Apple's Apps Look Like on the iPhone Duo

Tuesday October 20, 2026 11:12 am PDT by
With just three days to go until the iPhone Duo is released, Apple is getting ready for the launch. Behind the scenes, the App Store now has screenshots of Apple's built-in apps running on the Duo. We've seen some apps in marketing materials, but images of the ones we haven't seen give us an idea of what it will be like using the iPhone Duo day to day. Many apps are shown in landscape...
Apple Creator Studio iWork suite

Apple Pulls Keynote, Pages and Numbers From App Store [Update: Back]

Thursday October 22, 2026 11:01 am PDT by
Apple has temporarily removed Keynote, Pages, and Numbers from the App Store, just after releasing an update that added iPhone Duo support and a new Intelligent Assistant. It is not clear if the apps were removed intentionally, or if it is a bug. Apple has not said when the apps will be reinstated, but if it was in error, they should return soon. Update: The Mac versions are back without...
M5 MacBook Pro

RIP, MacBook Ultra

Monday October 19, 2026 9:37 am PDT by
Apple today sent out invites for an experience in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 28, and the "Pro and tell" tagline on the invitation likely means that the rumored MacBook models with touch-enabled OLED displays will stick with MacBook Pro branding instead of the once-rumored "MacBook Ultra" name. The long-rumored "iPhone Ultra" ended up being named iPhone Duo, so speculation that Apple...

Top Rated Comments

AF_APPLETALK Avatar
21 months ago

How did you find that? And how did you solve it?
You'll need to open Activity Monitor, switch to the Disk tab, and search for "corespotlightd" and have a look at how much data's getting written by that process.

I had an absurd amount one time I checked, like 800+ GB. I also noticed that my computer would feel physically hot even when there was no reason for it to.

To disable, you have to also disable SIP. Simply unchecking all of the spotlight options, or disabling in through other means won't stop the spotlight process.

https://cleanmymac.com/faq/how-to-turn-off-spotlight-search-on-mac

Supposedly it'll probably go away if you also reinstall the OS from scratch, but I'm a developer and have signing keys all over my machine for a bunch of different projects, so that's a nightmare.


I’m also interested in this, and if it’s happening on external SSDs like the Samsung T5/T7, or on NVMes inside a Thunderbolt case.
There's a way to move the spotlight index to another volume (other than the boot), so theoretically yes. Basically this bug seems to just write and rewrite stuff to the spotlight index over and over again, as fast as it can, which is AWFUL for the life of your SSD. Especially when the storage is soldered/integrated like they are on most Macs.

I hate having SIP disabled, but I can't afford spotlight trashing the SSD in my MBP. I disabled and switched to Raycast.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
21 months ago

Just updated my ipad pro m4 and now my internet is broken. No lan, no wlan no hotspot is working.
Now I can’t even fall back on my backup, as it is in the cloud! 😭
Yes, I have done the usual, toggle wifi on/off, turned ipad off…
Anybody?

Edit: after some searching found a post from a different update. They suggested deleting incompatible certificates and VPN profiles. In my case that was NordVPN. Deleted it and instantly the wifi-connection was restored.
But I did learn something: keep a backup on the device, not only in the cloud!
This happened to me too on my iPhone 12 PM. I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what went wrong, tried restoring with my MacBook, but since there was no internet service on the phone I couldn’t remove Activation Lock to do the restore, spent some time being mad that I was gonna have to buy a new phone because I wanted the 12 to last until Sept and the 17s, then I also found something that mentioned VPNs. Removed the NordVPN profiles and instant success. I even tried letting the app install the profiles again and it broke it again. I don’t know enough to know whether the fault lies with Apple or NordVPN, but it would be nice to have a fix.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dualica 01 Avatar
21 months ago
Just updated my ipad pro m4 and now my internet is broken. No lan, no wlan no hotspot is working.
Now I can’t even fall back on my backup, as it is in the cloud! 😭
Yes, I have done the usual, toggle wifi on/off, turned ipad off…
Anybody?

Edit: after some searching found a post from a different update. They suggested deleting incompatible certificates and VPN profiles. In my case that was NordVPN. Deleted it and instantly the wifi-connection was restored.
But I did learn something: keep a backup on the device, not only in the cloud!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AF_APPLETALK Avatar
21 months ago
Will 15.4 finally fix the spotlight bug that writes hundreds of gigabytes of data to my SSD every day? Seriously, I had to disable SIP to completely kill the corespotlightd process, absolutely absurd.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
iPhone Duo Launch Begins as First Orders Reach Customers
iPhone Duo Launch Begins as First Orders Reach Customers
3 hours ago
1Password for Agents Keeps Your Passwords Hidden From AI
1Password for Agents Keeps Your Passwords Hidden From AI
4 hours ago
iPhone Duo 24 Hours Later: Your Questions Answered
iPhone Duo 24 Hours Later: Your Questions Answered
4 hours ago
Apple's iWork Apps Get 'Intelligent Assistant' and iPhone Duo Support
Apple's iWork Apps Get 'Intelligent Assistant' and iPhone Duo Support
5 hours ago
Apple is Apparently Considering a Slightly Larger iPhone Duo
Apple is Apparently Considering a Slightly Larger iPhone Duo
5 hours ago
Giant iPhone Duo Displays Coming to Four Apple Stores
Giant iPhone Duo Displays Coming to Four Apple Stores
6 hours ago
Apple Pulls Keynote, Pages and Numbers From App Store [Update: Back]
Apple Pulls Keynote, Pages and Numbers From App Store [Update: Back]
7 hours ago
Apple Updates More Apps With iPhone Duo Support
Apple Updates More Apps With iPhone Duo Support
8 hours ago
Apple Will Label Apps 'Made for iPhone Duo' in App Store
Apple Will Label Apps 'Made for iPhone Duo' in App Store
11 hours ago
Amazon Takes $49 Off iPad With Prices Starting at $399.99
Amazon Takes $49 Off iPad With Prices Starting at $399.99
11 hours ago
F1 on Apple TV Now Available in Dolby Atmos
F1 on Apple TV Now Available in Dolby Atmos
12 hours ago
Apple Reveals More Than 50 Apps That Will Be Updated for iPhone Duo
Apple Reveals More Than 50 Apps That Will Be Updated for iPhone Duo
12 hours ago
Apple Blocks Certificates That Could Help Attackers Fake Websites
Apple Blocks Certificates That Could Help Attackers Fake Websites
14 hours ago
Giant iPhone Duo Installations Spotted at Apple Fifth Avenue
Giant iPhone Duo Installations Spotted at Apple Fifth Avenue
14 hours ago
iPhone Duo 2 Prototypes Include Under-Display Face ID
iPhone Duo 2 Prototypes Include Under-Display Face ID
15 hours ago
Tesla App Gains iPad and iPhone Duo Support
Tesla App Gains iPad and iPhone Duo Support
19 hours ago
Apple Reportedly Boosts iPhone Duo Orders by 44%
Apple Reportedly Boosts iPhone Duo Orders by 44%
19 hours ago
Fortnite Returning to Australian App Store After Court Ruling
Fortnite Returning to Australian App Store After Court Ruling
19 hours ago
Apple Ordered to Open iPhone to Rival App Stores in Australia
Apple Ordered to Open iPhone to Rival App Stores in Australia
20 hours ago
Apple Suppliers Face Hurdles Cutting Circuit Board Emissions
Apple Suppliers Face Hurdles Cutting Circuit Board Emissions
20 hours ago
Things Updated for iPhone Duo With Adaptive Layout
Things Updated for iPhone Duo With Adaptive Layout
20 hours ago
Simplicity and Siri AI Are HomeView's Killer Features, Apple Says
Simplicity and Siri AI Are HomeView's Killer Features, Apple Says
21 hours ago
iPhone Duo Reviewers Really Miss Face ID
iPhone Duo Reviewers Really Miss Face ID
1 day ago
Does the iPhone Duo Run Hot? Here's What Reviews Found
Does the iPhone Duo Run Hot? Here's What Reviews Found
1 day ago
Apple Music's New Look is Now Live on Apple's Website
Apple Music's New Look is Now Live on Apple's Website
1 day ago
Anthropic Launches Claude Duet, a Proactive AI Agent
Anthropic Launches Claude Duet, a Proactive AI Agent
1 day ago
What 32,000 Folds Did to the iPhone Duo's Hinge
What 32,000 Folds Did to the iPhone Duo's Hinge
1 day ago
iPhone Duo's Hidden FaceTime Camera Takes 'Trash' Photos
iPhone Duo's Hidden FaceTime Camera Takes 'Trash' Photos
1 day ago
iPhone Duo Has 'Edge Light' Feature That Debuted on Macs Last Year
iPhone Duo Has 'Edge Light' Feature That Debuted on Macs Last Year
1 day ago
Apple Support App Updated for iPhone Duo's Larger Display
Apple Support App Updated for iPhone Duo's Larger Display
1 day ago