Apple has released iOS 18.4, bringing Apple Intelligence support to 40 new languages and locales — expanding the AI-powered feature suite well beyond its initial English-language rollout that began with iOS 18.1 in October 2024. The update is available now as an over-the-air download for iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and all iPhone 16 models.
The newly supported languages include French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and a range of additional European and Asian locales. Apple has not published a complete list of all 40 supported languages but confirmed the expansion in its iOS 18.4 release notes.
What Apple Intelligence features are included
The language expansion covers the full Apple Intelligence feature set that launched with iOS 18.1 through 18.3, including Writing Tools (rewrite, proofread, and summarise in Mail, Notes, and third-party apps), notification summaries, photo cleanup, smart replies in Messages, and the upgraded Siri with on-device understanding. ChatGPT integration via Siri, which requires user opt-in, is also available in the expanded language set.
Genmoji — Apple’s AI-generated custom emoji feature — and Image Playground are included in the rollout for most supported languages, though Apple noted that some generative image features may be limited in certain locales pending ongoing regulatory review, particularly in the European Union under Digital Markets Act provisions.
EU situation remains complicated
Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 enables Apple Intelligence for EU users in supported languages for the first time, following months of delay the company attributed to regulatory uncertainty under the EU’s Digital Markets Act. However, Apple’s interoperability provisions required under the DMA are still under negotiation with the European Commission, and some Apple Intelligence features may operate under different conditions for EU users compared to users in other markets.
The EU expansion had been anticipated since Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed at the company’s Q1 2026 earnings call in January that EU availability was planned for “early in the calendar year.” iOS 18.4’s release in September falls later than that timeline suggested.
On-device vs server processing
Apple has consistently emphasised that the majority of Apple Intelligence processing occurs on-device, using the Neural Engine in A17 Pro and A18 chips. Tasks that exceed on-device capabilities are routed to Apple’s Private Cloud Compute infrastructure, which Apple says does not store user data and uses hardware-verified privacy protections. Independent security researchers have not yet published comprehensive audits of Private Cloud Compute’s expanded language processing pipeline.
iOS 18.4 is available now via Settings → General → Software Update on supported iPhone models.
