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/managing-notifications. 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.

Managing notifications

Integrating with Focus

A Focus helps people filter notifications during a time period they reserve for an activity like sleeping, working, reading, or driving.
Delivery scheduling lets people choose whether to receive notification alerts immediately or in a summary that’s delivered at times they choose.
Passive. Information people can view at their leisure, like a restaurant recommendation.
Active (the default). Information people might appreciate knowing about when it arrives, like a score update on their favorite sports team.
Time Sensitive. Information that directly impacts the person and requires their immediate attention, like an account security issue or a package delivery.
Critical. Urgent information about health and safety that directly impacts the person and demands their immediate attention. Critical notifications are extremely rare and typically come from governmental and public agencies or apps that help people manage their health or home.

Best practices

Build trust by accurately representing the urgency of each notification.

Use the Time Sensitive interruption level only for notifications that are relevant in the moment.

Sending marketing notifications

Never use the Time Sensitive interruption level to send a marketing notification.

Get people’s permission if you want to send them promotional or marketing notifications.

Make sure people can manage their notification settings within your app.

Managing notifications

Managing notifications

Integrating with Focus

Best practices

Sending marketing notifications

Platform considerations

watchOS

Resources

Developer documentation

Videos

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