Apple has announced a significant update to its Apple Intelligence suite, introducing a range of new features and expanding its availability to more users. The update, which comes with the release of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4, brings Priority Notifications, a feature that uses AI to highlight time-sensitive notifications, to the forefront.

The new Priority Notifications feature is designed to help users cut through the noise of non-essential updates and marketing messages from apps, allowing them to focus on the most important notifications. This feature is likely to be a game-changer for users who receive a high volume of notifications daily. Additionally, Apple Intelligence is now available to iPhone and iPad users in the EU, marking a significant expansion of the service's reach.

The update also brings new features to the Image Playground app, including an added Sketch style for creating academic and detailed sketches. Furthermore, Mac users can now create a "memory movie" by simply typing a description, thanks to Apple Intelligence's advanced AI capabilities. Other improvements include the expansion of Apple Intelligence to the Apple Vision Pro headset, allowing users to access features like Writing Tools, Image Playground, Genmoji, and more in a mixed reality environment.

Apple had previously announced that its AI suite would arrive in the EU in April 2025, but has managed to accelerate the rollout, despite citing EU tech regulations like the Digital Markets Act as a challenge. The company has also added support for several new languages, including French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified), as well as localized English for Singapore and India.

This update marks a significant milestone in Apple's AI journey, which began with the introduction of Apple Intelligence at the company's Worldwide Developer Conference last year. Since then, the company has been rolling out AI-powered features gradually, including ChatGPT integration and Image Playground, which arrived with iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2.

In addition to the Apple Intelligence updates, the latest software release also brings a handful of new emojis, including a paint splatter, a face with bags under its eyes, a fingerprint, a root vegetable, and a shovel, among others. The recently announced recipe companion, Apple News+ Food, is also launching today, alongside other tweaks to the revamped Apple Photos app and other Apple services.

The expansion of Apple Intelligence is a clear indication of the company's commitment to AI research and development. As the technology continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how Apple integrates AI-powered features into its ecosystem, and how users respond to these changes. One thing is certain, however - Apple is betting big on AI, and this update is just the beginning.