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/edit-menus. 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.

Edit menus

In iOS, the edit menu displays commands in a compact, horizontal list that appears when people touch and hold or double-tap to select content in a view. People can tap a chevron on the trailing edge to expand it into a context menu.
In iPadOS, the edit menu looks different depending on how people reveal it. When people use touch interactions to reveal the menu, it uses the compact, horizontal appearance. In contrast, when people use a keyboard or pointing device to reveal it, the edit menu opens directly in a context menu.
In macOS, people can access editing commands in a context menu they can reveal while in an editing task, as well as through the app’s Edit menu in the menu bar.
In visionOS, people use the standard pinch and hold gesture to open the edit menu as a horizontal bar, or they can open it in a context menu.

Best practices

Prefer the system-provided edit menu.

Let people reveal an edit menu using the system-defined interactions they already know.

Offer commands that are relevant in the current context, removing or dimming commands that don’t apply.

List custom commands near relevant system-provided ones.

When it makes sense, let people select and copy noneditable text.

Support undo and redo when possible.

In general, avoid implementing other controls that perform the same functions as edit menu items.

Differentiate different types of deletion commands when necessary.

Edit menus

Edit menus

Best practices

Content

Platform considerations

iOS, iPadOS

macOS

Resources

Developer documentation

Change log

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