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/in-app-purchase. 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.

In-app purchase

Consumable content like lives or gems in a game. After purchase, consumable content depletes as people use it, and people can purchase it again.
Non-consumable content like premium features in an app. Purchased non-consumable content doesn’t expire.
Auto-renewable subscriptions to virtual content, services, and premium features in your app on an ongoing basis. An auto-renewable subscription continues to automatically renew at the end of each subscription period until people choose to cancel it.
Non-renewing subscriptions to a service or content that lasts for a limited time, like access to an in-game battle pass. People purchase a non-renewing subscription each time they want to extend their access to the service or content.

Best practices

Let people experience your app before making a purchase.

Design an integrated shopping experience.

Use simple, succinct product names and descriptions.

Display the total billing price for each in-app purchase you offer, regardless of type.

Display your store only when people can make payments.

Use the default confirmation sheet.

Prominently mention Family Sharing in places where people learn about the content you offer.

Help people understand the benefits of Family Sharing and how to participate.

Aim to customize your in-app messaging so that it makes sense to both purchasers and family members.

Providing help with in-app purchases

Provide help that customers can view before they request a refund.

Use a simple title for the refund action, like “Refund” or “Request a Refund”.

Help people find the problematic purchase.

Consider offering alternative solutions.

Make it easy for people to request a refund.

Avoid characterizing or providing guidance on Apple’s refund policies.

Auto-renewable subscriptions

Call attention to subscription benefits during onboarding.

Offer a range of content choices, service levels, and durations.

Consider letting people try your content for free before signing up.

Freemium app
Metered paywall
Free trial

Prompt people to subscribe at relevant times, like when they near their monthly limit of free content.

Encourage a new subscription only when someone isn’t already a subscriber.

Provide clear, distinguishable subscription options.

Simplify initial signup by asking only for necessary information.

In your tvOS app, help people sign up or authenticate using another device.

Give people more information in your app’s sign-up screen.

The subscription name, duration, and the content or services provided during each subscription period
The billing amount, correctly localized for the territories and currencies where the subscription is available for purchase
A way for existing subscribers to sign in or restore purchases

Clearly describe how a free trial works.

Include a sign-up opportunity in your app’s settings.

Supporting offer codes

A one-time use code is a unique code you generate in App Store Connect. People can redeem a one-time use code through a redemption URL (a shareable link), within your app (when you support redemption), or by entering it in the App Store, where they’re prompted to install your app if they haven’t already. Consider using one-time use codes when your distribution is small or when you need to restrict access to a code.
A custom code is a code you create, such as NEWYEAR or SPRINGSALE. People can redeem a custom code through a redemption URL or within your app (when you support redemption). Consider using a custom code when you want to support a large campaign that requires a mass distribution of codes.

Clearly explain offer details.

Follow guidelines for creating a custom code.

Tell people how to redeem a custom code.

Consider supporting offer redemption within your app.

Supply an engaging and informative promotional image.

Help people benefit from unlocked content as soon as they complete the redemption flow.

Helping people manage their subscriptions

Provide summaries of the customer’s subscriptions.

Consider using the system-provided subscription-management UI.

Consider ways to encourage a subscriber to keep their subscription or resubscribe later.

Always make it easy for customers to cancel an auto-renewable subscription.

Consider creating a branded, contextual experience to complement the system-provided management UI.

Platform considerations

watchOS

Clearly describe the differences between versions of your app that run on different devices.

Consider using a modal sheet to display the required information.

Make subscription options easy to compare on a small screen.

Display each option in a separate button. Using one button per payment option lets people start the signup process with one tap. In this design, it’s important to lock up each button with its description so that people can see how these elements are related, especially while scrolling.
Display a list of options, followed by a button people tap to start the signup process. Using a list to display one option per row gives you a compact design that minimizes scrolling while making subscription choices easy to scan and understand. In this design, the button’s title can update to reflect the chosen option.

In-app purchase

In-app purchase

Best practices

Providing help with in-app purchases

Auto-renewable subscriptions

Supporting offer codes

Helping people manage their subscriptions

Platform considerations

watchOS

Resources

Developer documentation

Videos

Change log

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