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Apple Quietly Gave Your iPhone a Simple But Useful New Feature

The feature can help boost productivity, but it has broader use cases than just that.

Control Center add playlistPhoto by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

By Tucker Bowe

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Apple just rolled out iOS 18.4, which brings several cool new features to your iPhone — particularly if you use Apple’s native apps and services.

If you’re an Apple Music subscriber, you’re one of the biggest beneficiaries of the new software. That’s because it gives you quick access to some of your favorite playlists and allows you to play ambient music right from the Control Center.

A new Ambient Music section

Control Center add playlist
You’ll find a new Ambient Music section when customizing your iPhone’s Control Center.
Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

When running iOS 18.4, you’ll find a new Ambient Music section that you can add to your iPhone’s Control Center.

The section gives you four options — Sleep, Chill, Productivity and Wellbeing — each of which is tied to a corresponding ambient music playlist within Apple Music.

Once added to your Control Center, you’ll then be able to swipe down, select the icon and that Ambient Music playlist will start playing.

You’ll have to add these Ambient Music icons to your Control Center. Here’s how:

  1. Swipe down to access your Control Center.
  2. Long press in an open space (not on an icon).
  3. Select “Add a Control.”

From here, you can scroll down and select one of the four options in the Ambient Music section. The icon will then find a place on your Control Center.

Yes, you can customize the playlists

Control Center add playlist
You can adjust (and customize) the default Ambient Music playlists.
Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

Apple has default playlists tied to each Ambient Music playlist, but you can change them. Once added to your Control Center, long press in an open area (not on an icon), select the playlist icon, select Playlist and choose a new option.

If you choose “From Library,” you can add any playlist from your Apple Music library (which doesn’t have to be associated with one of the four Ambient Music themes), giving you quick access to any of your favorite playlists.

As for the Ambient Music icons, it doesn’t appear that you can rename them. You’re stuck with the four default options that Apple gives you.

iOS 18.4 is available now. If your iPhone doesn’t prompt you for an update, you can manually update it via Settings > General > Software Update.

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