Playing haptics

Patterns
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Best practices

Use system-provided haptic patterns according to their documented meanings.

Use haptics consistently throughout your app or game.

Prefer using haptics to complement other feedback in your app or game.

Avoid overusing haptics.

In most apps, prefer playing short haptics that complement discrete events.

Make haptics optional.

Be aware that playing haptics might impact other user experiences.

Custom haptics

  • Transient events are brief and compact, often feeling like taps or impulses. The experience of tapping the Flashlight button on the Home Screen is an example of a transient event.

  • Continuous events feel like sustained vibrations, such as the experience of the lasers effect in a message.

Platform considerations

iOS

Notification

Success.

Warning.

Error.

Impact

Light.

Medium.

Heavy.

Rigid.

Soft.

Selection

Selection.

watchOS

  • Notification
  • Up
  • Down
  • Success
  • Failure
  • Retry
  • Start
  • Stop
  • Click

Notification.

Up.

Down.

Success.

Failure.

Retry.

Start.

Stop.

Click.


For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/playing-haptics

Apple HIG text and imagery are © Apple Inc. This page is a structured index of Apple’s canonical documentation (snapshot 2025-02-02), provided for quick reference and AI-agent consumption — it isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by Apple. Read the original at developer.apple.com (opens in new tab).

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