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/playing-audio. 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.

Playing audio

Silence.

Volume.

Headphones.

Best practices

Adjust levels automatically when necessary — don’t adjust the overall volume.

Permit rerouting of audio when possible.

Use the system-provided volume view to let people make audio adjustments.

Choose an audio category that fits the way your app or game uses sound.

Respond to audio controls only when it makes sense.

Avoid repurposing audio controls.

Consider creating custom audio player controls only if you need to offer commands that the system doesn’t support.

Let other apps know when your app finishes playing temporary audio.

Use Spatial Audio to create an intuitive, engaging experience.

Consider defining a range of places from which your app sounds can originate.

Consider varying sounds that people could perceive as repetitive over time.

Decide whether you need to play sound that’s fixed to the wearer or tracked by the wearer.

Playing audio

Playing audio

Best practices

Handling interruptions

Platform considerations

iOS, iPadOS

macOS

tvOS

visionOS

watchOS

Resources

Developer documentation

Videos

Change log

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