What’s new

Discover the latest additions and updates to design guidance. Explore inspirational designs, videos, articles, and resources.

October 17, 2024
Updated iOS UI Kit for Figma
  • Added modes for Increased Contrast color values
  • Fixed incorrectly sized and positioned home indicators
  • Fixed incorrectly sized iPhone keyboards
  • Renamed several button styles
  • Changed iPad home indicators from portrait to landscape
October 10, 2024
Behind the Design: Lies of P Meet the team pulling the strings behind Lies of P.
September 9, 2024
New product bezels New product bezels for Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and all the new iPhone 16 models.
Updated Sketch iOS UI Kit for Sketch
  • Supports iPhone 16 Pro screen size
  • Resolved the linking issues between components and archived libraries which significantly improved the file’s performance
  • Updated the alphabetic keyboards to match the iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) and iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) and added a numeric keyboards for these models
  • Updated the background color for the iPad activity view controller (share sheet)
  • Updated the separator color across all components
  • Added table row styling to support icons
  • Corrected the background color of context menus
  • Updated the background color of tab bars
  • Other minor bug fixes
Updated macOS UI Kit for Sketch
  • Added dark theme wallpaper
  • Resolved linking issues between components and archived libraries
Updated visionOS 2 UI kits for Sketch Fixed Segmented Control label wrapping issue
New tvOS 18 UI Kit Every component and template has been rebuilt from ground up to match latest design system for tvOS
Design Template - Camera Control New Camera Control design template for Sketch
Camera Control New page.
Gestures Added guidance for working with system overlays in visionOS and made organizational updates.
Layout Added specifications for iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, and Apple Watch Series 10.
Tab bars Added art representing the tab bar in iPadOS 18.
September 3, 2024
Behind the Design: The rhythms of Rytmos Find out how Floppy Club built an Apple Design Award winner that sounds as good as it looks.
August 6, 2024
Behind the Design: Lost in Play Discover how the developers of this Apple Design Award-winning game conjured up an imaginative world of oversized frogs, mischievous gnomes, and occasional pizzas.
Sidebars Updated guidance to include the SwiftUI adaptable sidebar style.
Tab bars Updated with guidance for the tab bar in iPadOS 18.
Materials Added platform-specific art.
Dark Mode Added art contrasting the light and dark appearances.
July 11, 2024
Behind the Design: Gentler Streak Find out why the team behind this Apple Design Award-winning lifestyle app believes success is about more than stats.
June 10, 2024
Design advanced games for Apple platforms Learn how to adapt your high-end game so it feels at home on Mac, iPad, and iPhone.
Elevate your tab and sidebar experience in iPadOS Explore the new navigation system in iPadOS 18, which gives people the flexibility to choose between using a tab bar or sidebar.
Design great visionOS apps Find out how to create compelling spatial computing apps by embracing immersion, designing for eyes and hands, and taking advantage of depth, scale, and space.
Explore multiview video playback in visionOS Learn how AVExperienceController can enable playback of multiple videos on Apple Vision Pro.
Design Live Activities for Apple Watch Learn how to optimize the layout of your Live Activity for the wrist, and provide the right level of information and interactivity at the right time.
Say hello to the next generation of CarPlay design system Explore the design system at the heart of the next generation of CarPlay that allows each automaker to express their vehicle's character and brand.
Enhance your UI animations and transitions Explore how to adopt the zoom transition in navigation and presentations to increase the sense of continuity in your app.
Explore game input in visionOS Discover how to design and implement great input for your game in visionOS.
Design App Intents for system experiences Find out how to identify the functionality that's best for App Intents, and how to use parameters to make these intents flexible.
Create custom environments for your immersive apps in visionOS Discover how to create visually rich and performant customized app environments for Apple Vision Pro.
Design interactive experiences for visionOS Learn how you can design a compelling interactive narrative experience for Apple Vision Pro from the designers of Encounter Dinosaurs.
What’s new in SF Symbols 6 Explore the latest updates to SF Symbols, and learn how the new Wiggle, Rotate, and Breathe animation presets can bring vitality to your interface.
Create custom hover effects in visionOS Learn how to develop custom hover effects that update views when people look at them.
Create custom visual effects with SwiftUI Discover how to create unique scroll effects, rich color treatments, and custom transitions.
Add personality to your app through UX writing Learn how to define your app's voice and modulate your tone for every situation, from celebratory notifications to error messages.
Designing for games New page.
Controls New page.
App icons Added guidance for creating dark and tinted app icon variants for iOS and iPadOS.
SF Symbols Updated with guidance for new animations and features of SF Symbols 6.
Widgets Updated to include guidance for accented widgets in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.
Live Activities Added guidance for Live Activities in watchOS.
Gestures Added guidance for the updated double-tap gesture in watchOS.
Immersive experiences Added guidance for tinting passthrough and specifying initial, minimum, and maximum immersion levels.
File management Added guidelines for using the document launcher in iOS and iPadOS.
Typography Added guidance for using Apple's Unity plug-ins to support Dynamic Type in a Unity-based game and enhanced guidance on billboarding in a visionOS app or game.
Eyes Added guidance for custom hover effects.
Menus Added guidance for in-game menus and included game-specific examples.
Motion Added game-specific examples and enhanced guidance for using motion in games.
Settings Reorganized some guidance into new topics and added game-specific examples.
Game controls Added guidance for supporting touch controls and changed title from Game controllers.
Windows Updated to include guidance for using volumes in visionOS 2 and added game-specific examples.
Keyboards Added game-specific guidance and made organizational updates.
Onboarding Clarified different approaches to onboarding and added a guideline on displaying a splash screen.
Layout Made minor corrections and organizational updates.
Going full screen Enhanced guidance for playing a game in full-screen mode.
Launching Added guidance on displaying a splash screen.
Loading Added guidelines for showing progress and storing downloads, and enhanced guidance for games.
Accessibility Added a link to Apple's Unity plug-ins for supporting Dynamic Type.
Apple Pay Updated links to developer guidance for offering Apple Pay on the web.
May 9, 2024
“I taught myself”: Tucker MacDonald and the rise of Tide Guide Lots of apps have great origin stories, but the tale of Tucker MacDonald and Tide Guide seems tailor-made for the Hollywood treatment.
May 7, 2024
Apple Pencil and Scribble Added guidance for handling squeeze and barrel roll on Apple Pencil Pro.
Playing haptics Added guidance for playing haptics on Apple Pencil Pro.
Immersive experiences Added guidance for creating an environment.
Tap to Pay on iPhone Updated to include guidance on enabling the feature and educating merchants.
April 4, 2024
Knotwords: Gage and Schlesinger at the crossroads Zach Gage and Jack Schlesinger created Knotwords not to revolutionize the humble crossword but to learn it.
March 29, 2024
Immersive experiences Added guidance for displaying virtual hands.
Activity rings Enhanced guidance for displaying Activity rings and listed specific colors for displaying related content.
Sheets Added guidance to use form or page sheet styles in iPadOS apps.
Eyes Added artwork showing the visionOS hover effect.
Spatial layout Emphasized the importance of keeping interactive elements from overlapping each other.
Toggles Enhanced guidance for using switches in macOS apps, clarified when a checkbox has a title, and added artwork for radio buttons.
March 7, 2024
Uncovering the hidden joys of Finding Hannah On its surface, Finding Hannah is a bright and playful hidden-object game — but dig a little deeper and you’ll find something much more.
February 8, 2024
“The best version we’ve ever made” Michael Simmons discusses bringing Fantastical to visionOS.
February 5, 2024
Design kit Updated visionOS design kits for Figma and Sketch.
February 2, 2024
Designing for visionOS Included a link to Apple Vision Pro User Guide.
Immersive experiences Clarified guidance for choosing an immersion style that matches the experience your app provides.
Virtual keyboards Clarified the virtual keyboard's support for direct and indirect gestures in visionOS.
Buttons Noted that visionOS buttons don't support custom hover effects.
Ornaments Added guidance on using multiple ornaments.
Game Center Added links to developer guidance on using the access point and dashboard in a visionOS game.
Alerts Enhanced guidance for using default and Cancel buttons.
Layout Enhanced guidance for avoiding system controls in iPadOS app layouts, and added specifications for 10.9-inch iPad Air and 8.3-inch iPad mini.
Scroll views Added artwork showing the behavior of the visionOS scroll indicator.
Color Distinguished UI Kit and SwiftUI gray colors in iOS and iPadOS, and added guidance for balancing brightness levels in visionOS apps.
Motion Enhanced guidance for minimizing peripheral motion in visionOS apps.
January 31, 2024
App icons Clarified platform availability for alternate app icons.
January 30, 2024
“So much possibility”: How Ryan McLeod rebooted Blackbox for Apple Vision Pro The inventive game comes to the infinite canvas.
January 16, 2024
SF Symbols 5.1 Version 5.1 adds over 400 localized symbols and minor bug fixes.
January 11, 2024
Realizing their vision: How djay designed for visionOS The team behind djay reveals why Apple Vision Pro represents “the culmination of everything” for their app.
Q&A: Building apps for visionOS Get advice directly from Apple experts on creating incredible apps and games for Apple Vision Pro.
December 7, 2023
With Ancient Board Game Collection, Klemens Strasser goes back in time Discover how the title blends the new and the (very) old.
Q&A: Spatial design for visionOS Get expert advice from the Apple design team on creating experiences for Apple Vision Pro.
December 5, 2023
Offering help Included visionOS in guidance for creating tooltips.
Layout Clarified guidance on centering content in a visionOS window.
Images Clarified guidance on choosing a resolution for a rasterized image in a visionOS app.
Scroll views Described the visionOS scroll indicator and added guidance for integrating it with window layout.
Modality Enhanced guidance for in-depth modal experiences and clarified guidance on multiple modal views.
Activity rings Added artwork representing Activity rings in iOS.
Touch Bar Updated Dark Mode artwork.
Multitasking Added artwork for primary and auxiliary windows in iPadOS.
Digital Crown Added artwork for Apple Vision Pro and Apple Watch, and clarified that visionOS apps don't receive direct information from the Digital Crown.
Sidebars Added artwork for iPadOS.
Virtual keyboards Added artwork for visionOS.
SharePlay Added artwork for visionOS.
Accessibility Updated visionOS Zoom lens artwork.
Collaboration and sharing Added artwork illustrating button placement and various types of collaboration permissions.
Buttons Clarified some terminology and guidance for buttons in visionOS.
Materials Updated descriptions of the various material types, and clarified terms related to vibrancy and material thickness.
Split views Added guidance for split views in visionOS.
Ornaments Removed a statement about using ornaments to present supplementary items.
Sheets Recommended using a split view to offer supplementary items in a visionOS app.
Context menus Added guidance on hiding unavailable menu items.
November 9, 2023
The "sweet, creative" world of Kimono Cats How Greg Johnson and team created a cute cartoon adventure.
October 24, 2023
Machine learning Added art to Corrections section.
Focus and selection Clarified the difference between focus effects and the visionOS hover effect.
Eyes Clarified the difference between focus effects and the visionOS hover effect.
Notifications Updated watchOS platform considerations with guidance for presenting notification responses to double tap.
Complications Replaced links to deprecated ClockKit documentation with links to WidgetKit documentation.
Pop-up buttons Added artwork.
Drag and drop Added artwork.
Immersive experiences Updated artwork.
Live Activities Expanded and updated guidance and added new artwork.
October 3, 2023
The gorgeous gadgets of Automatoys Discover the wild inspirations behind Steffan Glynn’s perfectly perplexing puzzler.
September 15, 2023
Layout Added specifications for iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple Watch SE.
Gestures Updated specifications to include double tap in watchOS.
September 12, 2023
Color Enhanced guidance for using background color in watchOS views, and added color swatches for tvOS.
Typography Added artwork illustrating system font weights, and clarified tvOS specification table descriptions.
Offering help Added guidance for creating tips.
Playing video Corrected the recommended width for a thumbnail in visionOS.
Ratings and reviews Added artwork.
Search fields Combined guidance common to all platforms.
Alerts Added anatomy artwork for visionOS.
Toggles Updated artwork.
Progress indicators Combined guidance common to all platforms.
Action button Updated to include guidance for iOS.
Apple Pencil and Scribble Updated artwork.
Always On Updated intro image artwork.
Apple Pay Updated artwork.
Game Center Added artwork for the iOS achievement layout.
ID Verifier New page.
In-app purchase Updated artwork and guidance for redeeming offer codes.
Maps Added artwork.
ResearchKit Updated artwork.
Wallet Added guidance for helping people add orders to Wallet.
July 19, 2023
Design kit Updated visionOS design kits for Figma and Sketch.
July 12, 2023
Design kit Updated iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 design kits for Figma and Sketch.
June 23, 2023
Design kit New visionOS design kit for Figma.
June 21, 2023
Designing for visionOS New page.
Immersive experiences New page.
Spatial layout New page.
Eyes New page.
Ornaments New page.
Accessibility Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
App icons Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Icons Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Images Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Layout Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Materials Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Motion Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Privacy Consolidated guidance into new page and updated for visionOS.
Privacy Consolidated guidance into new page and updated for visionOS.
Typography Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Collaboration and sharing Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Drag and drop Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Entering data Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
File management Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Launching Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Modality Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Multitasking Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Onboarding Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Playing audio Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Playing haptics Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Playing video Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Image views Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Lists and tables Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Buttons Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Context menus Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Edit menus Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Menus Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Toolbars Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Navigation bars Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Sidebars Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Tab bars Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Alerts Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Page controls Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Sheets Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Windows Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Segmented controls Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Sliders Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Virtual keyboards Changed page title from Onscreen keyboards and updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Digital Crown Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Focus and selection Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Gestures Changed page title from Touchscreen gestures and updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Keyboards Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
Nearby interactions Changed page title from Spatial interactions.
Pointing devices Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
SharePlay Updated to include guidance for visionOS.
June 16, 2023
Design kit New macOS Sonoma design kit for Figma and Sketch.
June 7, 2023
Design kit New iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 design kits for Figma and Sketch.
June 5, 2023
Meet watchOS 10 Discover some of the most significant changes to Apple Watch since its introduction.
Principles of spatial design Discover the fundamentals of spatial design.
Design for spatial input Learn how to design great interactions for eyes and hands.
Design spatial SharePlay experiences Explore the types of shared activities you can create in your visionOS apps.
Design for spatial user interfaces Learn how to design great interfaces for spatial computing apps.
Design considerations for vision and motion Learn how to design engaging immersive experiences for visionOS that respect the limitations of human vision and motion perception.
Design with SwiftUI Discover how SwiftUI can help you quickly iterate and explore design ideas.
Design and build apps for watchOS 10 Dive into the details of watchOS design principles and learn how to apply them in your app using SwiftUI.
Design Shortcuts for Spotlight Learn about the latest updates to the visual language of App Shortcuts and find out how to design your shortcut to appear as a top hit in Spotlight.
Design dynamic Live Activities Learn the best way to create graphically rich layouts that update seamlessly on the Lock Screen, in StandBy, and in the Dynamic Island.
What’s new in SF Symbols 5 Explore the latest updates to SF Symbols.
Create animated symbols Discover animation presets and learn how to use them with SF Symbols and custom symbols.
Explore immersive sound design Discover how you can use sound to enhance the experience of your visionOS apps and games.
Design widgets for the Smart Stack on Apple Watch Bring your widgets to watchOS with the new Smart Stack.
Behind the Design: Afterplace Find out how Evan Kice created the throwback pixelated adventure game Afterplace.
Behind the Design: Any Distance Learn how Luke Beard and Daniel Kuntz created the design-forward fitness tracker Any Distance.
Behind the Design: Duolingo Learn the design strategies behind the language app's incredible success.
Behind the Design: Endling How the HandyGames team created this powerful mix of medium and message.
Behind the Design: Flighty Find out how Ryan Jones created this best-in-class travel app.
Behind the Design: Headspace Find out how the Headspace team made its app.
Behind the Design: MARVEL SNAP Find out how the SNAP team rebooted the entire collectible-card game universe.
Behind the Design: Railbound Learn how the Afterburn game studio created this tricky track puzzler.
Behind the Design: Resident Evil Village Learn how the stunningly beautiful horror adventure came to life on Mac.
Behind the Design: stitch. Find out how Lykke Studios sewed up its embroidery-themed puzzle game.
Behind the Design: SwingVision Discover how the SwingVision team served up the definitive tennis app.
Behind the Design: Universe Discover how Universe makes creating a website as easy as building with blocks.
Materials Added guidance on using materials to provide context and orientation in watchOS apps.
Designing for watchOS Enhanced guidance for providing a glanceable, focused app experience, and emphasized the importance of the Digital Crown in navigation.
Color Updated guidance for using background color in watchOS.
SF Symbols Added a new section on animations. Included animation guidance for custom symbols.
Text views Updated guidance to reflect changes in watchOS 10.
Labels Updated guidance to reflect changes in watchOS 10.
Lists and tables Updated guidance to reflect changes in watchOS 10.
Split views Added guidance for split views in watchOS.
Tab views Added guidance for using tab views in watchOS.
Buttons Updated guidance for using buttons in watchOS.
Toolbars Updated guidance for using toolbars in watchOS.
Navigation bars Updated guidance for using navigation bars in watchOS.
Search fields Added guidance for using search fields in watchOS.
Page controls Updated guidance for using page controls in watchOS.
Scroll views Updated guidance for using scroll views in watchOS.
Sheets Updated guidance for using sheets in watchOS.
Pickers Updated guidance for using pickers in watchOS.
Text fields Updated guidance to reflect changes in watchOS 10.
Progress indicators Updated guidance to reflect changes in watchOS 10.
App Shortcuts New page.
Complications Updated guidance for rectangular complications to support them as widgets in the Smart Stack.
Live Activities Updated guidance to include features of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17.
Widgets Updated guidance to include widgets in watchOS, widgets on the iPad Lock Screen, and updates for iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS 14.
Digital Crown Added guidelines emphasizing the central role of the Digital Crown for navigation.
Siri Removed Add to Siri guidance. Added references to the new App Shortcuts page.
May 2, 2023
Siri Consolidated guidance into one page.
Messages for Business Consolidated guidance into one page.
Machine learning Consolidated guidance into one page.
Mac Catalyst Consolidated guidance into one page.
iMessage apps and stickers Consolidated guidance into one page.
HomeKit Consolidated guidance into one page.
Game Center Consolidated guidance into one page.
CarPlay Consolidated guidance into one page.
CareKit Consolidated guidance into one page.
Apple Pay Consolidated guidance into one page.
App Clips Consolidated guidance into one page.
AirPlay Consolidated guidance into one page.
March 21, 2023
Design kit Updated iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 design kits for Sketch and XD.
March 3, 2023
Tap to Pay on iPhone Enhanced guidance for educating merchants and improving their experience.
February 27, 2023
Writing New page.
February 20, 2023
Wallet Enhanced guidance for presenting order-tracking information and added artwork.
January 19, 2023
Design kits Updated design kits for iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16, in addition to technologies like App Clips, Live Activities, Sign in with Apple, and more.
January 2, 2023
Design kit Updated Keynote design kit for iOS 16.
December 19, 2022
Color Corrected RGB values for system mint color (dark) in iOS and iPadOS.
SharePlay Clarified guidance for helping nonsubscribers join a group activity.
November 30, 2022
Wallet Added guidance to include a carrier name in status information for a shipping fulfillment.
November 3, 2022
Widgets Added guidance for widgets on the iPhone Lock Screen and updated design comprehensives for iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Apple Pencil and Scribble Added guidelines for using hover to enhance your app.
Live Activities Updated artwork and specifications.
In-app purchase Added a guideline for displaying the total billing price for every in-app purchase item and consolidated guidance into one page.
October 6, 2022
Design kit Updated design kit for watchOS.
September 23, 2022
Live Activities New page.
Charting data New page.
Charts New page.
Maps Added guidelines for presenting custom information, refined best practices, and consolidated guidance into one page.
Gauges New page.
Rating indicators New page.
Always On Expanded guidance to cover the Always On display on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
September 19, 2022
Design kits Updated design kits for iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura.
September 17, 2022
Behind the Design: Rebel Girls Behind the Design: Rebel Girls
September 14, 2022
Collaboration and sharing New page.
Designing for tvOS Refined best practices for multiuser support.
App icons Added specifications for Apple Watch Ultra.
Images Added specifications for Apple Watch Ultra.
Layout Added specifications for iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14, and Apple Watch Ultra.
SF Symbols Added a new section on variable color. Removed instructions on creating custom symbol paths, exporting templates, and layering paths, deferring to developer articles that cover these topics.
Context menus Refined guidance on including a submenu and added a guideline on using a context menu to support object creation in an iPadOS app.
Edit menus Added guidance on supporting both edit-menu styles in iPadOS.
Menus Added guidelines for using the small, medium, and large menu layouts in iPadOS.
Pop-up buttons Added a guideline on using a pop-up button in a popover or modal view in iPadOS.
Pull-down buttons Refined guidance on designing a useful menu length.
Complications Added specifications for Apple Watch Ultra.
Action button New page.
Sign in with Apple Refined guidance on supporting existing accounts, helping people set up a new account, and indicating the current sign-in status. Consolidated guidance into one page.
Tap to Pay on iPhone Refined guidance on preparing Tap to Pay on iPhone and helping merchants learn how to use the feature.
Wallet Added guidelines for using Verify with Wallet, updated guidance on providing shipping status values and descriptions, and consolidated guidance into one page.
September 12, 2022
Behind the Design: Overboard! Behind the Design: Overboard!
August 29, 2022
Behind the Design: (Not Boring) Habits Behind the Design: (Not Boring) Habits
August 22, 2022
Behind the Design: Lego Star Wars: Castaways Behind the Design: Lego Star Wars: Castaways
August 15, 2022
Behind the Design: Slopes Behind the Design: Slopes
August 8, 2022
Behind the Design: Marvel Future Revolution Behind the Design: Marvel Future Revolution
August 1, 2022
Behind the Design: Odio Behind the Design: Odio
July 25, 2022
Behind the Design: Wylde Flowers Behind the Design: Wylde Flowers
July 18, 2022
Behind the Design: Procreate Behind the Design: Procreate
July 11, 2022
Behind the Design: A Musical Story Behind the Design: A Musical Story
July 5, 2022
Behind the Design: Halide Mark II Behind the Design: Halide Mark II
June 27, 2022
Behind the Design: Gibbon: Beyond the Trees Behind the Design: Gibbon: Beyond the Trees
June 20, 2022
Meet the prototypers Meet the prototypers