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/focus-and-selection. 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.

Focus and selection

Best practices

Rely on system-provided focus effects.

Avoid changing focus without people’s interaction.

Be consistent with the platform as you help people bring focus to items in your app.

Indicate focus using visual appearances that are consistent with the platform.

In general, use a focus ring for a text or search field, but use a highlight in a list or collection.

Platform considerations

iPadOS

Pressing the Tab key moves focus among focus groups, letting people navigate to sidebars, grids, and other app areas.
Pressing an arrow key supports a directional focus interaction that’s similar to tvOS, but limited to navigation among items in the same focus group. For example, people can use an arrow key to move through the items in a list or a sidebar.

Customize the halo focus effect when necessary.

Ensure that focus moves through your custom views in ways that make sense.

Adjust the priority of an item to reflect its importance within a focus group.

tvOS

In a full-screen experience, let people use gestures to interact with the content, not to move focus.

Avoid displaying a pointer.

Design your interface to accommodate components in various focus states.

Focus and selection

Focus and selection

Best practices

Platform considerations

iPadOS

tvOS

visionOS

Resources

Developer documentation

Videos

Change log

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