Provide a CFBundleDisplayName

All apps, even those not specifically using SiriKit, should provide a CFBundleDisplayName key in their Info.plist. The string value for this key is displayed to the user throughout the system, such as below the app icon on the home screen. The presence of this key will help Siri to identify your app, even if your app does not use SiriKit.

Provide a CFBundleSpokenName

All apps, even those not specifically using SiriKit, can provide a CFBundleSpokenName key in their Info.plist. The string value of this key represents the expected pronunciation of your app's name, such as "My app one two three" for an app with a bundle display name "MyApp123." This key is also used by VoiceOver to speak the app name.

Provide INAlternativeAppNames

Apps adopting SiriKit and linking to the iOS 11 SDK can provide a small number of alternate app names that users may use when interacting with Siri by specifying the INAlternativeAppNames key in the Info.plist for the app. As an example, if a banking app is named "Unicorn Bank" but users frequently refer to the app as "Unicorn Pay" or "Unicorn", it is helpful to specify both of these alternate app names so users can use them in their request to Siri.

Additionally, INAlternativeAppNames contains a pronunciation hint to help Siri understand how users pronounce your app's name.

Listing 1  Sample of INAlternativeAppNames

<key>INAlternativeAppNames</key>

<array>

    <dict>

        <key>INAlternativeAppName</key>

        <string>Unicorn Pay</string>

        <key>INAlternativeAppNamePronunciationHint</key>

        <string>you nee corn pay</string>

    </dict>

    <dict>

        <key>INAlternativeAppName</key>

        <string>Unicorn</string>

        <key>INAlternativeAppNamePronunciationHint</key>

        <string>you nee corn</string>

    </dict>

</array>

Provide Example Phrases

All apps adopting SiriKit, regardless of the specific SiriKit domain, should provide Siri with example phrases that demonstrate the different ways your users will use your app through Siri. This is done using the IntentPhrases key of the global vocabulary file, named AppIntentVocabulary.plist.

Example phrases for using an app named Cuddly Creatures that shows pet photos and implements the SiriKit photo domain might include the following:

• Look for silly cat photos with Cuddly Creatures.

• Can you show my album of dog photos in Cuddly Creatures?

• Start a photo slide show in Cuddly Creatures.

The AppIntentVocabulary.plist file for Cuddly Creatures with these example phrases is shown in Listing 2.

Listing 2  Sample AppIntentVocabulary.plist

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">

<plist version="1.0">

<dict>

    <key>IntentPhrases</key>

    <array>

        <dict>

            <key>IntentExamples</key>

            <array>

                <string>Look for silly cat photos with Cuddly Creatures.</string>

                <string>Can you show my album of dog photos in Cuddly Creatures?</string>

            </array>

            <key>IntentName</key>

            <string>INSearchForPhotosIntent</string>

        </dict>

        <dict>

            <key>IntentExamples</key>

            <array>

                <string>Start a photo slide show in Cuddly Creatures.</string>

            </array>

            <key>IntentName</key>

            <string>INStartPhotoPlaybackIntent</string>

        </dict>

    </array>

</dict>

</plist>

Example phrases are needed for every intent declared by the IntentsSupported key in the Intents extension Info.plist. Further, a complete AppIntentVocabulary.plist, with example phrases for each supported intent, needs to be present for every locale the app supports. Submitting an app with a missing example phrase will result in warnings from the App Store, such as the example in Listing 3.

Listing 3  Sample warning from the App Store if an example phrase is missing

Invalid Siri Support - No example phrase was provided for INSearchForPhotosIntent in the "de" language

See the SiriKit Programming Guide for instructions on creating the global vocabulary file and documentation for the specific keys.

Inspect Your Localizations

It is important to provide Siri with an AppIntentVocabulary.plist file in every language your app supports. Additionally, if your app's name (including alternative app names) is localized, a localized InfoPlist.strings file should be provided with the localized version of CFBundleDisplayName in each language.

As an example, imagine that the app Cuddly Creatures supports English, German, Japanese, and Korean, with the app's name localized in each language. The app uses base localization, with the development language set to English. A complete set of localized files used by Siri for this app is shown in Figure 1.

In Figure 1, none of the localized files are provided for the English locale. Instead, the English files are associated with the Base locale, because the Base locale is the localization used for the app's development language. Providing an additional AppIntentVocabulary.plist and InfoPlist.strings specifically in the development language's locale is unnecessary.

Additional Documentation

For additional information on SiriKit, consult the following resources:

• SiriKit Programming Guide

• Sample Code with sample phrases in AppIntentVocabulary.plist: Searching for Photos

• Sample Code with custom app vocabulary and sample phrases in AppIntentVocabulary.plist: IntentHandling: Using the Intents framework to handle custom Siri request