Hig Inputs

Apple HIG: Inputs

Check for .claude/apple-design-context.md before asking questions. Use existing context and only ask for information not already covered.

Key Principles

1. Support multiple input methods. Touch, pointer, keyboard, pencil, voice, eyes, hands, controllers. Design for the inputs available on each platform. On iPadOS, support both touch and pointer; on macOS, both pointer and keyboard.

2. Consistent feedback for every input action. Visible, audible, or haptic response.

3. Standard gestures must behave consistently. Tap to activate, swipe to scroll/navigate, pinch to zoom, long press for context menus, drag to move. Don't override system gestures (edge swipes for back, Home, notifications).

4. Use standard recognizers; keep custom gestures discoverable. Apple's built-in recognizers handle edge cases and accessibility. If you add non-standard gestures, provide hints or coaching to teach them.

5. Apple Pencil: precision drawing, markup, and selection. Support pressure, tilt, and hover. Distinguish finger from Pencil when appropriate (finger pans, Pencil draws).

6. Support Scribble in text fields. Users expect to write with Pencil in any text input.

7. Keyboard shortcuts and full navigation. Standard shortcuts (Cmd+C/V/Z) plus custom ones visible in the iPadOS Command key overlay. Logical tab order.

8. Respect the software keyboard. Adjust layout when keyboard appears. Use keyboard-avoidance APIs.

9. Game controllers: MFi controllers with on-screen fallbacks. Map to extended gamepad profile, sensible defaults, remappable. Always offer touch or keyboard alternatives.

10. Pointer and trackpad: native feel. Hover effects, pointer shape adaptation, standard cursor behaviors. Two-finger scroll, pinch to zoom, swipe to navigate.

11. Digital Crown: primary scrolling and value-adjustment input on watchOS. Scrolling lists, adjusting values, navigating views. Haptic feedback at detents.

12. Eyes and spatial (visionOS): look and pinch. Generous hit targets (eye tracking is less precise than touch). Avoid sustained gaze for activation. Direct hand manipulation in immersive experiences.

13. Focus system: critical for tvOS and visionOS. Predictable focus movement. Every interactive element focusable. Clear visual indicators (scale, highlight, elevation). Logical focus groups.

14. Siri Remote: limited surface. Touch area for swiping, clickpad for selection, few physical buttons. Keep interactions simple.

15. Gyroscope, accelerometer, UWB: use judiciously. Suits gaming, fitness, AR. Not for essential tasks. Provide calibration and reset. For UWB, communicate distance and direction with visual or haptic cues.

Reference Index

Output Format

1. Input method recommendations by platform and how they interact. 2. Gesture specification table -- standard and custom gestures with expected behaviors. 3. Keyboard shortcut recommendations following system conventions. 4. Accessibility input alternatives for VoiceOver, Switch Control, etc.

Questions to Ask

1. Which platforms and input devices? 2. Productivity or casual app? 3. Custom gestures in the design? 4. Game controller support needed?

Related Skills

• hig-components-status -- Progress indicators responding to input (pull-to-refresh)
• hig-components-system -- System experiences with unique input constraints
• hig-technologies -- VoiceOver, Siri voice input, ARKit spatial gesture context

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<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/apple-pencil-and-scribble.

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.

Apple Pencil and Scribble

Best practices

Support behaviors people intuitively expect when using a marking instrument.

Let people choose when to switch between Apple Pencil and finger input.

Help people express themselves by responding to the way they use Apple Pencil.

Provide visual feedback to indicate a direct connection with content.

Design a great left- and right-handed experience.

Hover

Use hover to help people predict what will happen when Apple Pencil touches the screen.

Avoid using hover to initiate an action.

Prefer showing a preview value that’s near the middle in a range of dynamic values.

Consider using hover to support relevant interactions close to where people are marking.

Prefer showing hover previews for Apple Pencil, not for a pointing device.

Double tap

Respect people’s settings for the double-tap gesture when they make sense in your app.

Give people a way to specify custom double-tap behavior if necessary.

Avoid using the double-tap gesture to perform an action that modifies content.

Squeeze

Treat squeeze as a single, quick gesture that performs a discrete — not continuous — action.

If you use squeeze to reveal app UI, like a contextual menu, display it close to Apple Pencil Pro.

Define squeeze actions that are nondestructive and easy to undo.

Barrel roll

Use barrel roll only to modify marking behavior, not to enable navigation or display other controls.

Scribble

Make text entry feel fluid and effortless.

Make Scribble available everywhere people might want to enter text.

Avoid distracting people while they write.

While people are writing in a text field, make sure it remains stationary.

Prevent autoscrolling text while people are writing and editing in a text field.

Give people enough space to write.

Custom drawing

Help people draw on top of existing content.

Consider displaying custom undo and redo buttons when your app runs in a compact environment.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/apple-pencil-and-scribble

<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/camera-control.

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.

Camera Control

Anatomy

• A _slider_ provides a range of values to choose from, such as how much contrast to apply to the content.

• A _picker_ offers discrete options, such as turning a grid on and off in the viewfinder.

Best practices

Use SF Symbols to represent control functionality.

Keep names of controls short.

Include units or symbols with slider control values to provide context.

Define prominent values for a slider control.

Make space for the overlay in the viewfinder.

Minimize distractions in the viewfinder.

Enable or disable controls depending on the camera mode.

Consider how to arrange your controls.

Allow people to use the Camera Control to launch your experience from anywhere.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/camera-control

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Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/digital-crown.

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.

Digital Crown

Apple Vision Pro

• Adjust volume

• Adjust the amount of immersion in a portal, an Environment, or an app or game running in a Full Space (for guidance, see Immersive experiences)

• Recenter content so it’s in front of them

• Open Accessibility settings

• Exit an app and return to the Home View

Apple Watch

Anchor your app’s navigation to the Digital Crown.

Consider using the Digital Crown to inspect data in contexts where navigation isn’t necessary.

Provide visual feedback in response to Digital Crown interactions.

Update your interface to match the speed with which people turn the Digital Crown.

Use the default haptic feedback when it makes sense in your app.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/digital-crown

<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/eyes.

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.

Eyes

Best practices

Always give people multiple ways to interact with your app.

Design for visual comfort.

Place content at a comfortable viewing distance.

Prefer using standard UI components.

Making items easy to see

Minimize visual distractions.

Make it easy for people to look at an item by providing enough space around it.

Avoid using a repeating pattern or texture that fills the field of view.

Encouraging interaction

Consider using subtle visual cues to encourage people to look at the item they’re most likely to want.

In general, give an interactive item a rounded shape.

If you create an interactive component that consists of more than one element, be sure to provide an overall containing shape that visionOS can highlight.

Custom hover effects

Prefer using a custom hover effect to emphasize or enhance a special moment in your experience.

Choose the right delay.

• No delay (default). A custom hover effect that appears without delay tends to be especially useful when the effect is subtle or invites interaction, like when a knob appears on a slider.

• Short delay. Consider using a short delay to let people look at an element and quickly interact with it without waiting for the effect to appear; for example, the expansion of tabs in a tab bar works this way.

• Long delay. If your custom hover effect shows additional information, like when a tooltip appears below a button, a slightly longer delay can work well because most people won’t need to view the additional information every time.

Aim to keep one or more of the element’s primary views unchanged in both states of a custom hover effect.

Thoroughly test custom hover effects.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/eyes

<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/focus-and-selection.

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.

Focus and selection

Best practices

Rely on system-provided focus effects.

Avoid changing focus without people’s interaction.

Be consistent with the platform as you help people bring focus to items in your app.

Indicate focus using visual appearances that are consistent with the platform.

In general, use a focus ring for a text or search field, but use a highlight in a list or collection.

Platform considerations

iPadOS

• Pressing the Tab key moves focus among focus groups, letting people navigate to sidebars, grids, and other app areas.

• Pressing an arrow key supports a directional focus interaction that’s similar to tvOS, but limited to navigation among items in the same focus group. For example, people can use an arrow key to move through the items in a list or a sidebar.

Customize the halo focus effect when necessary.

Ensure that focus moves through your custom views in ways that make sense.

Adjust the priority of an item to reflect its importance within a focus group.

tvOS

In a full-screen experience, let people use gestures to interact with the content, not to move focus.

Avoid displaying a pointer.

Design your interface to accommodate components in various focus states.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/focus-and-selection

<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/game-controls.

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.

Game controls

• Even though all platforms except watchOS support physical game controllers, not every player might have access to one.

• Players appreciate games that let them use the platform interaction method they’re most familiar with.

Touch controls

Determine whether it makes sense to display virtual controls on top of game content.

Place virtual buttons where they’re easy to access.

Make sure controls are large enough.

Always include visible and tactile press states.

Use symbols that communicate the actions they perform.

Show and hide virtual controls to reflect gameplay.

• Visible control
• Hidden control

Combine functionality into a single control.

Map movement and camera controls to predictable behavior.

Physical controllers

Support the platform’s default interaction method.

Tell people about game controller requirements.

Automatically detect whether a controller is paired.

Customize onscreen content to match the connected game controller.

Map controller buttons to expected UI behavior.

Support multiple connected controllers.

Prefer using symbols, not text, to refer to game controller elements.

Keyboards

Prioritize single-key commands.

Test key binding comfort game using an Apple keyboard.

Take the proximity of keys into account.

Let players customize key bindings.

Platform considerations

visionOS

Match spatial game controller behavior to hand input.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/game-controls

<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/gestures.

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.

Gestures

Best practices

Give people more than one way to interact with your app.

In general, respond to gestures in ways that are consistent with people’s expectations.

Handle gestures as responsively as possible.

Indicate when a gesture isn’t available.

Custom gestures

Add custom gestures only when necessary.

• Discoverable

• Straightforward to perform

• Distinct from other gestures

• Not the only way to perform an important action in your app or game

Make custom gestures easy to learn.

Use shortcut gestures to supplement standard gestures, not replace them.

Avoid conflicting with gestures that access system UI.

Platform considerations

iOS, iPadOS

Consider allowing simultaneous recognition of multiple gestures if it enhances the experience.

visionOS

Support standard gestures everywhere you can.

Offer both indirect and direct interactions when possible.

Avoid requiring specific body movements or positions for input.

Designing custom gestures in visionOS

Prioritize comfort.

Carefully consider complex custom gestures that involve multiple fingers or both hands.

Avoid custom gestures that require using a specific hand.

Working with system overlays in visionOS

Reserve the area around a person’s hand for system overlays and their related gestures.

Consider deferring the system overlay behavior when designing an immersive app or game.

Use caution when designing custom gestures that involve a rolling motion of the hand, wrist, and forearm.

watchOS

Double tap

Avoid setting a primary action in views with lists, scroll views, or vertical tabs.

Choose the button that people use most commonly as the primary action in a view.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/gestures

<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/gyro-and-accelerometer.

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.

Gyroscope and accelerometer

Best practices

Use motion data only to offer a tangible benefit to people.

Outside of active gameplay, avoid using accelerometers or gyroscopes for the direct manipulation of your interface.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/gyro-and-accelerometer

<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/keyboards.

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.

Keyboards

Best practices

Support Full Keyboard Access when possible.

Respect standard keyboard shortcuts.

Standard keyboard shortcuts

In general, don’t repurpose standard keyboard shortcuts for custom actions.

Custom keyboard shortcuts

Define custom keyboard shortcuts for only the most frequently used app-specific commands.

Use modifier keys in ways that people expect.

List modifier keys in the correct order.

Avoid adding Shift to a shortcut that uses the upper character of a two-character key.

Let the system localize and mirror your keyboard shortcuts as needed.

Avoid creating a new shortcut by adding a modifier to an existing shortcut for an unrelated command.

Platform considerations

visionOS

Write descriptive shortcut titles.

Recognize that people see an overlay when they use a physical keyboard with your visionOS app or game.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/keyboards

<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/nearby-interactions.

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.

Nearby interactions

Best practices

Consider a task from the perspective of the physical world to find inspiration for a nearby interaction.

Use distance, direction, and context to inform an interaction.

Consider how changes in physical distance can guide a nearby interaction.

Provide continuous feedback.

Consider using multiple feedback types to create a holistic experience.

Avoid using a nearby interaction as the only way to perform a task.

Device usage

Encourage people to hold the device in portrait orientation.

Design for the device’s directional field of view.

Help people understand how intervening objects can affect the nearby interaction experience in your app.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/nearby-interactions

<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/pointing-devices.

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.

Pointing devices

Best practices

Be consistent when responding to mouse and trackpad gestures.

Avoid redefining systemwide trackpad gestures.

Provide a consistent experience in your app, whether people are using gestures, eyes, a pointing device, or a keyboard.

Let people use the pointer to reveal and hide controls that automatically minimize or fade out.

Provide a consistent experience when people press and hold a modifier key while interacting with objects in your app.

Platform considerations

iPadOS

Allow multiple selection in custom views when necessary.

Distinguish between pointer and finger input only if it provides value.

Pointer accessories

Use clear, simple images to create custom accessories.

Consider using the accessory transition to signal a change in an element’s state or behavior.

Standard pointers and effects

When possible, support the system-provided content effects.

• Use highlight for a small element that has a transparent background.

• Use lift for a small element that has an opaque background.

• Use hover for large elements and customize the scale, tint, and shadow attributes as needed (for guidance, see Customizing pointers).

Prefer the system-provided pointer appearances for standard buttons and text-entry areas.

Add padding around interactive elements to create comfortable hit regions.

Create contiguous hit regions for custom bar buttons.

Specify the corner radius of a nonstandard element that receives the lift effect.

Customizing pointers

Prefer system-provided pointer effects for custom elements that behave like standard elements.

Use pointer effects in consistent ways throughout your app.

Avoid creating gratuitous pointer and content effects.

Keep custom pointer shapes simple.

Consider enhancing the pointer experience by displaying custom annotations that provide useful information.

Avoid displaying instructional text with a pointer.

Consider the interplay of shadow, scale, and element spacing when defining custom hover effects.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/pointing-devices

<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/remotes.

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.

Remotes

Best practices

Prefer using standard gestures to perform standard actions.

Be consistent with the tvOS focus experience.

Provide clear feedback that shows people what happens when they make gestures in your app.

Define new gestures only when it makes sense in your app.

Differentiate between press and tap, and avoid responding to an inadvertent tap.

Consider using the position of a tap to aid with navigation or gameplay.

In almost all cases, open the parent of the current screen when people press the Back button.

Respond correctly to the Play/Pause button during media playback.

Gestures

Swipe.

Press.

Compatible remotes

If your live-viewing app provides an EPG, respond to a remote’s EPG-browsing buttons in ways people expect.

While your content plays, respond to a compatible remote’s “page up” or “page down” button by changing the channel.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/remotes

<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/spatial-interactions.

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.

Nearby interactions

Best practices

Consider a task from the perspective of the physical world to find inspiration for a nearby interaction.

Use distance, direction, and context to inform an interaction.

Consider how changes in physical distance can guide a nearby interaction.

Provide continuous feedback.

Consider using multiple feedback types to create a holistic experience.

Avoid using a nearby interaction as the only way to perform a task.

Device usage

Encourage people to hold the device in portrait orientation.

Design for the device’s directional field of view.

Help people understand how intervening objects can affect the nearby interaction experience in your app.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/spatial-interactions