How should I design an iPad app using Apple's HIG?

Apple's HIG recommends using sidebars instead of bottom tab bars on iPadOS, supporting split views for multitasking, and adding pointer interactions. Apple HIG Skills provides instant, AI-ready guidance on all iPadOS conventions.

What are Apple's guidelines for adding Apple Pay?

Apple's HIG specifies exact payment button placement, flow design, error states, and UX patterns required for App Store approval. Apple HIG Skills gives your AI agent access to the full Apple Pay design guidelines.

How do I make my Apple app accessible?

Apple's HIG requires support for VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, sufficient color contrast ratios, and motor accessibility features like Switch Control. Apple HIG Skills covers all accessibility foundations and requirements.

How do I design for visionOS and Apple Vision Pro?

Apple's HIG for visionOS covers ornaments, volumes, immersive spaces, eye tracking, and spatial interaction patterns. Apple HIG Skills includes dedicated visionOS platform guidance and spatial layout references.

What are Apple's dark mode design guidelines?

Apple's HIG specifies using system semantic colors, material backgrounds, elevated surfaces, and vibrancy for dark mode. Apps should test in both modes and avoid hard-coded color values. Apple HIG Skills covers the full dark mode specification.

How should I design notifications for iOS apps?

Apple's HIG covers notification grouping, Live Activities, action buttons, and respecting user attention. Apple HIG Skills provides guidelines for the full notification system including widgets and complications.

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/alerts. This file is a structured index of that content, snapshot 2025-02-02. Apple HIG text and imagery are © Apple Inc.; this repository provides organization and cross-referencing for AI agent consumption only.

Alerts

Best practices

Use alerts sparingly.

Avoid using an alert merely to provide information.

Avoid displaying alerts for common, undoable actions, even when they’re destructive.

Avoid showing an alert when your app starts.

Anatomy

iOS
macOS
tvOS
visionOS
watchOS

Content

In iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS, an alert can include a text field.
Alerts in macOS and visionOS can include an icon and an accessory view.
macOS alerts can add a suppression checkbox and a Help button.

In all alert copy, be direct, and use a neutral, approachable tone.

Write a title that clearly and succinctly describes the situation.

Include informative text only if it adds value.

Avoid explaining alert buttons.

If supported, include a text field only if you need people’s input to resolve the situation.

Buttons

Create succinct, logical button titles.

Avoid using OK as the default button title unless the alert is purely informational.

Place buttons where people expect.

Use the destructive style to identify a button that performs a destructive action people didn’t deliberately choose.

If there’s a destructive action, include a Cancel button to give people a clear, safe way to avoid the action.

Provide alternative ways to cancel an alert when it makes sense.

Configure repeating alerts to let people suppress subsequent occurrences of the same alert.
Append a custom view if it’s necessary to provide additional information (for developer guidance, see accessoryView).
Include a Help button that opens your help documentation (see Help buttons).

Use a caution symbol sparingly.

Alerts

Alerts

Best practices

Anatomy

Content

Buttons

Platform considerations

iOS, iPadOS

macOS

visionOS

Resources

Developer documentation

Change log

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