Pop-up buttons

On this page2 sections

Best practices

Use a pop-up button to present a flat list of mutually exclusive options or states.

  • Offer a list of actions

  • Let people select multiple items

  • Include a submenu

Provide a useful default selection.

Give people a way to predict a pop-up button’s options without opening it.

Consider using a pop-up button when space is limited and you don’t need to display all options all the time.

If necessary, include a Custom option in a pop-up button’s menu to provide additional items that are useful in some situations.

Platform considerations

iPadOS

Within a popover or modal view, consider using a pop-up button instead of a disclosure indicator to present multiple options for a list item.


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

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).

Get HIG guidance in your AI

Install HIG Doctor and get expert Apple design guidance directly in Claude Code.

npx skills add raintree-technology/hig-doctor
Email updates aren't configured on this deployment yet. Follow the GitHub repo (opens in new tab) for updates.