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/app-icons. 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.

App icons

Layer design

Prefer clearly defined edges in foreground layers.

Vary opacity in foreground layers to increase the sense of depth and liveliness.

Design a background that both stands out and emphasizes foreground content.

Prefer vector graphics when bringing layers into Icon Composer.

Icon shape

iOS, iPadOS, macOS
tvOS
visionOS, watchOS

Produce appropriately shaped, unmasked layers.

Keep primary content centered to avoid truncation when the system adjusts corners or applies masking.

Design

Provide a visually consistent icon design across all the platforms your app supports.

Consider basing your icon design around filled, overlapping shapes.

Include text only when it’s essential to your experience or brand.

Prefer illustrations to photos and avoid replicating UI components.

Don’t use replicas of Apple hardware products.

Visual effects

Let the system handle blurring and other visual effects.

Create layer groupings to apply effects to multiple layers at once.

Appearances

Keep your icon’s features consistent across appearances.

Design dark and tinted icons that feel at home beside system app icons and widgets.

Use your light app icon as the basis for your dark icon.

Consider offering alternate app icons.

sRGB (color)
Gray Gamma 2.2 (grayscale)
Display P3 (wide-gamut color in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS only)

App icons

App icons

Layer design

Icon shape

Design

Visual effects

Appearances

Platform considerations

tvOS

visionOS

watchOS

Specifications

Resources

Developer documentation

Videos

Change log

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