Users of Apple’s News+ subscription service are getting a new perk when iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 launch–and it could be setting the stage for another product further down the pipeline.
Apple announced Friday Apple News+ Food, a new section to the News app dedicated to recipes, restaurant reviews, and other food-related topics. Company officials claim that the new section includes tens of thousands of recipes with more added daily.
A key feature of the section is the new Recipe Catalog, which will allow users to browse, search, filter and save recipes formatted in a brand-new page style with ingredients and directions. Users can even follow along with the recipe step-by-step using the cook mode–which somewhat resembles synced lyrics in Apple Music.
Some of the world’s top food publishers have already signed on to contribute their content to the section. Company spokespeople specifically name Allrecipes, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Good Food and Serious Eats as some of the earliest partners. They also say that users who do not subscribe to Apple News+ will still be able to access select stories and recipes.
This new service comes just ahead of a rumored new Apple product that could be perfect for using these features in the kitchen. The leaked ‘HomeAccessory,’ codenamed J490 and dubbed by the Apple fan community as the ‘HomePad,’ is rumored to be coming later this year with a square touchscreen and support for Apple Intelligence, according to reporting from Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.
9to5Mac’s Filipe Espósito reports that people at the outlet have seen code from iOS 18.4 pointing to a new “Home” device category separate from the “Audio” category, further indicating a separate home product could be in the pipeline. Additional code reportedly revealed a new “CookingKit” API to manage Apple News+ recipes with several App Intents that connect the system to Spotlight and Siri.
App Intents play a key role in the new Apple Intelligence-enhanced Siri that’s set to be fully realized in a future update. The rumored ‘HomePad’ is set to support Apple Intelligence, and Esposito suggests that the feature could be deeply integrated with the device.
First hints at food-related features coming to Apple platforms came from Gurman in 2022 when he suggested company leaders had considered an Instacart-like grocery delivery service that integrated with Apple Health (via MacRumors). He later reported Apple had tested a blood sugar app that suggested food choices to prevent diabetes.
Developers first got their hands on the beta versions of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 Friday, which also include a new Vision Pro app, among other features. Company officials say they plan to formally release the new versions to the public in April.
