The iOS 11.4 update arrives just ahead of the iOS 12 announcement, and soon after iOS 11.3.1. This new update focuses on adding in two features that were announced long ago – AirPlay 2 and Messages in the Cloud. quickly after iOS 11.3, and focuses on fixing problems instead of adding new features. What’s New in iOS 11.4? The iOS 11.4 update includes all of the iOS 11, iOS 11.2 and iOS 11.3 features including new Animoji, Apple Pay Cash and the other exciting features.
On June 4th, Apple is expected to announce iOS 12 at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a slew of new features, followed by a public launch in September. There are rumors that Apple may announce a new digital health initiative and a way for developers to easily manage their apps across Macs and iOS devices at WWDC. And Apple may also add a feature that integrates Animoji with FaceTime as part of iOS 12.
And today Apple released iOS 11.4 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. iOS 11.4 went through six beta tests before it became available to the public. And iOS 11.4 is considered a major update with several new features.
The iOS 11.4 update is free for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, but only works on a select group of devices.
- iPhone 5s and newer iPhones
- iPad Air (All Models)
- iPad Pro (All Models)
- iPad 5th generation
- iPad mini 2 and newer
- iPod touch 6th generation
Here’s what’s new in iOS 11.4 and iOS 11.
What Features Are Included In iOS 11.4?
Some of the new features that have been added to iOS 11.4 include AirPlay 2 support, Messages on iCloud and ClassKit support. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus also gains a few new wallpapers as part of the update.
AirPlay 2
By adding AirPlay 2 support, iOS 11.4 adds support for multi-room and stereo pairing for the Apple TV and HomePod. AirPlay 2 makes it possible for users to control compatible speakers in the Home app. With multi-device control in the Home app, you will be able to set up multiple Apple devices in your home to interact with the audio that is being streamed at the same time.
AirPlay 2 essentially allows you to wirelessly stream audio content to multiple AirPlay 2 speakers with a tight sync. And the audio buffering on AirPlay 2 speakers have been enhanced so that audio plays at a higher degree of responsiveness. Even though the Apple TV and HomePod are currently the only devices that support AirPlay 2 compatibility, more devices will be added soon such as speakers being manufactured by Sonos.
Messages In iCloud
The Messages in iCloud feature was originally being beta tested in iOS 11.3 beta 1, but it got pushed to the iOS 11.4 update rather than iOS 11.3. The Messages in iCloud feature syncs text message actions between your Apple devices. So if you delete a message on your iPhone, it will also delete on your iPad and vice-versa. The devices in which you want text message actions to sync will have to all be logged into iCloud for this feature to work.
ClassKit Support
Apple also added support for the ClassKit framework. This enables developers to make their educational apps function with the Apple’s Schoolwork app. The Schoolwork app allows teachers to set up assignments for students with links that can open a certain feature in third-party apps.
You can learn more about iOS 11.4 in Apple’s security update website as well.
Updates To iOS 11 Since Being Released
Apple iOS 11.4 is the fourteenth update to iOS 11 following iOS 11.0.1, iOS 11.0.2, iOS 11.0.3, iOS 11.1, iOS 11.1.1, iOS 11.1.2, iOS 11.2, iOS 11.2.1, iOS 11.2.2, iOS 11.2.5, iOS 11.2.6, iOS 11.3 and iOS 11.3.1.
iOS 11.3.1
iOS 11.3.1 (released April 24, 2018) was a minor update, which improved the security of the iPhone and iPad. And it also addressed a problem where the touch input was unresponsive on some iPhone 8 devices because it was serviced with non-genuine replacement displays. In the release notes for that update, Apple said “non-genuine replacement displays may have compromised visual quality and may fail to work correctly. Apple-certified screen repairs are performed by trusted experts who use genuine Apple parts.”
iOS 11.3
iOS 11.3 (released March 29, 2018) is a major update that shipped with several new features. iOS 11.3 included features like the ability to control battery performance within the Settings app > Battery > Battery Health (Beta). This update also includes new Animoji, a Business Chat feature, new augmented reality experiences and a feature that allows users to see health records within the Health app.
iOS 11.2.6
Apple iOS 11.2.6 (released February 19, 2018) included two bug fixes for the iPhone and iPad. One of the bugs pertained to a problem where a character in the Telugu language keyboard could be used for causing apps to crash. And the other bug had to do with third-party apps failing to connect to external hardware.
iOS 11.2.5
The Apple iOS 11.2.5 (released January 23, 2018) update had resolved a problem where a GitHub link was used for maliciously attacking the Messages app and caused it to freeze up — which became known as “chaiOS.” Users that were victims of this problem had to do a hard reset on their device. And iOS 11.2.5 also added a few new controls for the HomePod.
iOS 11.2.2
iOS 11.2.2 (released January 8, 2018) was a minor update with security enhancements for Safari and WebKit. The security enhancement mitigated the Spectre vulnerability.
iOS 11.2.1
Apple iOS 11.2.1 (released December 13, 2017) fixed a bug that disabled remote access to shared users within the Home app. Prior to this issue, Apple temporarily disabled remote HomeKit access as the platform was vulnerable to exploits in smart door locks and garage door opening devices.
iOS 11.2
Apple iOS 11.2 (released December 2, 2017) was a major update with many new features. For example, iOS 11.2 contained the Apple Pay Cash feature, which provided the ability for iOS users to transfer money to their contacts through the Messages app. And iOS 11.2 also added fast wireless charging support, new wallpapers for the iPhone X, additional navigational indicators for the iPhone X and other bug fixes.
What made the release of iOS 11.2 interesting was that it rolled out in the middle of the night on a Saturday rather than a Tuesday. The reason why this happened is that the “December 2nd data bug” needed a quick fix because it was causing apps on iOS devices with local notifications to crash repeatedly on that day.
iOS 11.1.2
iOS 11.1.2 (released November 16, 2017) fixed two problems that were specific to the iPhone X. One of those problems had to do with the iPhone X screen becoming unresponsive after a rapid temperature change. The other bug had to do with Live Photos and videos getting distorted on the iPhone X.
iOS 11.1.1
Apple’s iOS 11.1.1 update (released November 9, 2017) resolve a couple of issues. The first issue had to do with the iOS keyboard converting the letter “i” to an “a” with a question mark symbol next to it. And the other issue had to do with the “Hey Siri” function malfunctioning for certain devices.
iOS 11.1
iOS 11.1 (released October 31, 2017) was another major update with a couple of new features. iOS 11.1 added over 70 new emoji and it restored the 3D Touch multitasking gesture. Plus iOS 11.1 also fixed issues that caused Live Photo effects to be played back slowly and an issue that caused duplicate Mail notifications to appear on the Lock screen.
iOS 11.0.3
iOS 11.0.3 (released October 11, 2017) fixed a problem that caused audio and haptic feedback to become dysfunctional on iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices. This update also fixed a problem that caused the touch input to become unresponsive on iPhone 6s displays that were repaired without genuine Apple parts.
iOS 11.0.2
Apple’s iOS 11.0.2 (released October 3, 2017) fixed problems that caused crackling noises in the earpiece of iPhone 8 devices. iOS 11.0.2 also resolved an issue that caused attachments in S/MIME encrypted emails to become corrupted. And iOS 11.0.2 also addressed a bug that prevented photos from reappearing on certain devices.
iOS 11.0.1
iOS 11.0.1 (released September 26, 2017) dealt with synchronization for Office 365, Outlook.com and Exchange Server 2016 utilizing Windows Server 2016 in Apple Mail. And there were performance improvements for Springboard, iMessage app Drawer and App Explorer.
iOS 11
iOS 11 (released September 19, 2017), the eleventh version of iOS, brought a number of useful features to iPhones. Some of the new features added in iOS 11 included the ability to customize the Control Center, Do Not Disturb While Driving, the new Files app, ARKit for developers, Live Photos editing, indoor airport and mall maps, document scanning in Notes and additional multitasking features in the iPad.
