Key Summary

Table 1 contains an alphabetical listing of iOS keys, the corresponding name for that key in the Xcode property list editor, a high-level description of each key, and the platforms on which you use it. Detailed information about each key is available in later sections.

CoreSpotlightContinuation

CoreSpotlightContinuation (Boolean - iOS) To declare that your app supports Spotlight query continuation, add this key to your app’s Info.plist file with a value of YES.

When continuing a query from Spotlight, the system calls the following two app delegate methods in sequence:

1. The system first calls the application:willContinueUserActivityWithType: method, passing a CSQueryContinuationActionType constant to the userActivityType parameter.

2. Next, the system calls the application:continueUserActivity:restorationHandler: method, passing an NSUserActivity object to the userActivity parameter.

   The userInfo dictionary (of the NSUserActivity object) has a key-value pair in which the key is a CSSearchQueryString constant and the value is the string the app should use when performing its query

This key is supported in iOS 10.0 and later.

INAlternativeAppNames

INAlternativeAppNames (Array - iOS) Specifies the alternative names by which users may refer to the app in Siri. Use this key to specify common synonyms by which users refer to your app. (To learn more about how to do this, see Specifying Synonyms for Your App Name.) The value of this key is an array of no more than three dictionaries, each of which contains contains the following keys:

• INAlternativeAppName. (Required) Specifies the alternative name by which users may refer to the app in Siri. The value of this key can be localized.

• INAlternativeAppNamePronunciationHint. (Optional) Specifies a pronunciation hint for the app name, formatted in a “sounds like” format. The value of this key can be localized.

Siri recognizes alternative app names only for apps that include an Intents app extension with support for one or more intents. Apps must not use this key to divert Siri requests from other apps on the system. It is a programmer error to include more than three entries (per localized version of your Info.plist file) in the array for this key.

This key is supported in iOS 11.0 and later.

MKDirectionsApplicationSupportedModes

MKDirectionsApplicationSupportedModes (Array - iOS) Specifies the modes of transportation for which the app is capable of giving directions. The array contains one or more strings, each of which indicates a supported mode. Apps may include the following strings in this array:

• MKDirectionsModeCar

• MKDirectionsModeBus

• MKDirectionsModeTrain

• MKDirectionsModeSubway

• MKDirectionsModeStreetCar

• MKDirectionsModePlane

• MKDirectionsModeBike

• MKDirectionsModeFerry

• MKDirectionsModeTaxi

• MKDirectionsModePedestrian

• MKDirectionsModeRideShare

• MKDirectionsModeOther

If this key is in your app’s Info.plist file, you must upload a GeoJSON file to App Store Connect that indicates the regions for which your app is capable of providing directions. For more information about specifying this file, see Location and Maps Programming Guide.

This key is supported in iOS 6.0 and later.

UIAppFonts

UIAppFonts (Array - iOS) Specifies any app-provided fonts that should be made available through the normal mechanisms. Each item in the array is a string containing the name of a font file (including filename extension) that is located in the app’s bundle. The system loads the specified fonts and makes them available for use by the app when that app is run.

This key is supported in iOS 3.2 and later.

UIApplicationExitsOnSuspend

UIApplicationExitsOnSuspend (Boolean - iOS) Specifies that the app should be terminated rather than moved to the background when it is quit. Apps linked against iOS SDK 4.0 or later can include this key and set its value to YES to prevent being automatically opted-in to background execution and app suspension. When the value of this key is YES, the app is terminated and purged from memory instead of moved to the background. If this key is not present, or is set to NO, the app moves to the background as usual.

This key is supported in iOS 4.0 and later.

UIApplicationShortcutItems

UIApplicationShortcutItems (Array - iOS) Specifies the static Home screen quick actions for the app. This key contains an array of dictionaries. Each dictionary contains detailed information about a single quick action and how it is used.

You can specify static quick actions for your app as an array of dictionaries. The number of quick actions shown for your app on the Home screen, when the user presses your Home screen icon on a device that supports 3D Touch, is determined by the system.

The static quick actions you define in your Info.plist file are shown on the Home screen in the same order they appear in the file. The system populates the set of Home screen quick actions first with your static quick actions, and only if there are additional slots available does it also show your defined dynamic quick actions. For more information on dynamic quick actions, see Adopting 3D Touch on iPhone.

The following screenshot shows an example definition of two static quick actions in the Xcode property list editor:

The following code listing shows the example definition as they appear in the corresponding property list file:

<key>UIApplicationShortcutItems</key>

    <array>

        <dict>

            <key>UIApplicationShortcutItemIconFile</key>

            <string>open-favorites</string>

            <key>UIApplicationShortcutItemTitle</key>

            <string>Favorites</string>

            <key>UIApplicationShortcutItemType</key>

            <string>com.mycompany.myapp.openfavorites</string>

            <key>UIApplicationShortcutItemUserInfo</key>

            <dict>

                <key>key1</key>

                <string>value1</string>

            </dict>

        </dict>

        <dict>

            <key>UIApplicationShortcutItemIconType</key>

            <string>UIApplicationShortcutIconTypeCompose</string>

            <key>UIApplicationShortcutItemTitle</key>

            <string>New Message</string>

            <key>UIApplicationShortcutItemType</key>

            <string>com.mycompany.myapp.newmessage</string>

            <key>UIApplicationShortcutItemUserInfo</key>

            <dict>

                <key>key2</key>

                <string>value2</string>

            </dict>

        </dict>

    </array>

When a user chooses one of your Home screen quick actions, the system launches or resumes your app and UIKit calls the application:performActionForShortcutItem:completionHandler: method in your app delegate. Be sure to read the description of that method in UIApplicationDelegate Protocol Reference for information on how to ensure the method is called only when it should be.

To retrieve the attributes of a received quick action, use the UIApplicationLaunchOptionsShortcutItemKey launch option key, described in UIApplicationDelegate Protocol Reference. The value of this key is a UIApplicationShortcutItem object. The attributes of the received quick action are available in the object properties.

Table 2 lists the keys that can be included in each dictionary of the array.

This key is supported in iOS 9.0 and later for devices that support 3D Touch.

UIApplicationShortcutWidget

UIApplicationShortcutWidget (String - iOS) Specifies the bundle ID of the widget to be available as a Home screen quick action, for apps that have more than one widget.

Home screen quick actions, in iOS 10.0 and later, include up to one quick action to provides fast user access to an app’s contained widget app extension. If you provide more than one widget with your app, employ this key to identify which widget should be available on the Home screen.

This key is supported in iOS 10.0 and later.

UIAppSupportsHDR

UIAppSupportsHDR (Boolean - tvOS) Specifies whether the app supports HDR mode on Apple TV 4K. If the key's value is NO and Apple TV 4K is in HDR mode, Apple TV switches to SDR mode before launching the app, and it switches back to HDR mode when the app resigns. If the key is not present or its value is YES, the device remains in HDR mode when the app launches.

HDR mode on Apple TV 4K uses the GPU to compose the content that appears on the screen. GPU bound apps, such as games, can access more of the GPU by opting out of HDR support, that is, setting UIAppSupportsHDR to NO. However, switching between HDR and SDR modes may cause color flashing to appear on the screen. Apps should only opt out when absolutely necessary.

This key is supported in tvOS 11.2 and later.

UIBackgroundModes

UIBackgroundModes (Array - iOS, watchOS) Specifies that the app provides specific background services and must be allowed to continue running while in the background. These keys should be used sparingly and only by apps providing the indicated services. Where alternatives for running in the background exist, those alternatives should be used instead. For example, apps can use the signifiant location change interface to receive location events instead of registering as a background location app.

Table 3 lists the possible string values that you can put into the array associated with this key. You can include any or all of these strings but your app must provide the indicated services.

This key is supported in iOS 4.0 and later, and watchOS 4.0 and later.

UIDeviceFamily

UIDeviceFamily (Number or Array - iOS) Specifies the underlying hardware type on which this app is designed to run.

The value of this key is usually an integer but it can also be an array of integers. Table 4 lists the possible integer values you can use and the corresponding devices.

This key is supported in iOS 3.2 and later.

UIFileSharingEnabled

UIFileSharingEnabled (Boolean - iOS) Specifies whether the app shares files through iTunes. If this key is YES, the app shares files. If it is not present or is NO, the app does not share files. Apps must put any files they want to share with the user in their <Application_Home>/Documents directory, where <Application_Home> is the path to the app’s home directory.

In iTunes, the user can access an app’s shared files from the File Sharing section of the Apps tab for the selected device. From this tab, users can add and remove files from the directory.

In iOS 11 and later, if both this key and the LSSupportsOpeningDocumentsInPlace key are YES, the local file provider grants access to all the documents in the app’s Documents directory. These documents appear in the Files app, and in a Document Browser. Users can open and edit these document in place.

This key is supported in iOS 3.2 and later.

UIInterfaceOrientation

UIInterfaceOrientation (String - iOS) Specifies the initial orientation of the app’s user interface. This key is ignored if the UISupportedInterfaceOrientations key is present.

This value is based on the UIInterfaceOrientation constants declared in the UIApplication.h header file. The default style is UIInterfaceOrientationPortrait.

UILaunchImageFile

UILaunchImageFile (String - iOS) Specifies the name of the launch image file for the app on older versions of iOS. If this key and the UILaunchImages key are both present, the app uses the UILaunchImages key. If neither key is present, the system looks for a launch image file with the name Default.png.

This key is supported in iOS 3.2 and later.

UILaunchImages

UILaunchImages (Array - iOS) Explicitly specifies the launch images to use for the app. This key contains an array of dictionaries. Each dictionary contains detailed information about a single launch image and how it is used. Xcode fills in the value of each dictionary based on information you provide in your project settings.

Table 5 lists the keys that can be included in each dictionary of the array.

If this key is present, iOS 7 uses it exclusively to obtain launch images. The system does not fall back to the older naming conventions used prior to iOS 7.

This key is supported in iOS 7.0 and later.

UILaunchStoryboardName

UILaunchStoryboardName (String - iOS) Specifies the filename of the storyboard from which to generate your app’s launch image. (If you want to use multiple storyboards to generate different launch images, use UILaunchStoryboards.)

This key is supported in iOS 9 and later.

UILaunchStoryboards

UILaunchStoryboards (Dictionary - iOS) Specifies information about the storyboards from which to generate launch images for your app. Use this key to support multiple launch storyboards—for example, to support opening your app through various URL schemes. If you don’t need more than one launch storyboard, you can continue to use UILaunchStoryboardName instead.

This key is a dictionary that takes the following keys:

This key is supported in iOS 9 and later.

UIMainStoryboardFile

UIMainStoryboardFile (String - iOS) Contains a string with the name of the app’s main storyboard file (minus the .storyboard extension). A storyboard file is an Interface Builder archive containing the app’s view controllers, the connections between those view controllers and their immediate views, and the segues between view controllers. When this key is present, the main storyboard file is loaded automatically at launch time and its initial view controller installed in the app’s window.

This key is mutually exclusive with the NSMainNibFile key. You should include one of the keys in your Info.plist file but not both. This key is supported in iOS 5.0 and later.

UINewsstandApp

UINewsstandApp (Boolean - iOS) Specifies the whether the app presents its content in Newsstand. Publishers of newspaper and magazine content use the Newsstand Kit framework to handle the downloading of new issues. However, instead of those apps showing up on the user’s Home screen, they are collected and presented through Newsstand. This key identifies the apps that should be presented that way.

Such apps must also provide default Newsstand icons as described in Contents of the UINewsstandIcon Dictionary.

This key is supported in iOS 5.0 and later.

UIPrerenderedIcon

UIPrerenderedIcon (Boolean - iOS) Specifies whether the app’s icon already contains a shine effect. If the icon already has this effect, you should set this key to YES to prevent the system from adding the same effect again. All icons automatically receive a rounded bezel regardless of the value of this key.

UIRequiredDeviceCapabilities

UIRequiredDeviceCapabilities (Array or Dictionary - iOS) lets iTunes and the App Store know which device-related features an app requires in order to run. iTunes and the mobile App Store use this list to prevent customers from installing apps on a device that does not support the listed capabilities.

If you use an array, the presence of a given key indicates the corresponding feature is required. If you use a dictionary, you must specify a Boolean value for each key. If the value of this key is YES, the feature is required. If the value of the key is false, the feature must not be present on the device. In both cases, omitting a key indicates that the feature is not required but that the app is able to run if the feature is present.

Table 6 lists the keys that you can include in the array or dictionary associated with the UIRequiredDeviceCapabilities key. You should include keys only for the features that your app absolutely requires. If your app can accommodate missing features by avoiding the code paths that use those features, do not include the corresponding key.

This key is supported in iOS 3.0 and later.

UIRequiresPersistentWiFi

UIRequiresPersistentWiFi (Boolean - iOS) Specifies whether the app requires a Wi-Fi connection. iOS maintains the active Wi-Fi connection open while the app is running.

UIStatusBarHidden

UIStatusBarHidden (Boolean - iOS) Specifies whether the status bar is initially hidden when the app launches.

UIStatusBarStyle

UIStatusBarStyle (String - iOS) Specifies the style of the status bar as the app launches.

This value is based on the UIStatusBarStyle constants declared in UIApplication.h header file. The default style is UIStatusBarStyleDefault.

UISupportedExternalAccessoryProtocols

UISupportedExternalAccessoryProtocols (Array - iOS) Specifies the protocols that your app supports and can use to communicate with external accessory hardware. Each item in the array is a string listing the name of a supported communications protocol. Your app can include any number of protocols in this list and the protocols can be in any order. The system does not use this list to determine which protocol your app should choose; it uses it only to determine if your app is capable of communicating with the accessory. It is up to your code to choose an appropriate communications protocol when it begins talking to the accessory.

This key is supported in iOS 3.0 and later. For more information about communicating with external accessories, see External Accessory Programming Topics.

UISupportedInterfaceOrientations

UISupportedInterfaceOrientations (Array - iOS) Specifies the interface orientations your app supports. The system uses this information (along with the current device orientation) to choose the initial orientation in which to launch your app. The value for this key is an array of strings.

When updating an app to be universal, ensure the Info.plist file contains this key as well as the iPad variant of this key, UISupportedInterfaceOrientations~ipad. To learn about Info.plist key variants, read Creating Platform- and Device-Specific Keys. To learn about how to configure this key to support iOS 9 multitasking enhancements on iPad, read Slide Over & Split View Quick Start in Adopting Multitasking Enhancements on iPad.

Table 7 lists the possible string values you can include in the array.

This key is supported in iOS 3.2 and later.

UISupportsDocumentBrowser

UISupportsDocumentBrowser (Boolean - iOS) Specifies that the app is a document-based app and uses the UIDocumentBrowserViewController class.

If this key is set to YES, the user can set the document browser’s default save location in Settings. Additionally, the local file provider grants access to all the documents in the app’s Documents directory. These documents appear in the Files app, and in a Document Browser. Users can open and edit these document in place.

This key is supported in iOS 11 and later.

UIUserInterfaceStyle

UIUserInterfaceStyle (String - tvOS) Optionally specifies whether the user interface for a tvOS app respects the systemwide, user-configured light or dark appearance, or ignores the user setting and always employs one appearance or the other. If you do not specify a value for this key, your app employs the UIUserInterfaceStyleLight trait, resulting in the light appearance.

The UIUserInterfaceStyle key pertains to the running app’s user interface; tvOS app icons do not employ user interface appearance variants. Human interface considerations for this key are described in “Color” in tvOS Human Interface Guidelines.

This key is supported in tvOS 10.0 and later. Other platforms ignore this key.

Table 8 lists the possible string values you can specify for the UIUserInterfaceStyle key, and describes how these options interact with the user’s system setting for dark appearance in tvOS.

UIURLToLaunchStoryboardAssociations

UIViewControllerBasedStatusBarAppearance

UIViewControllerBasedStatusBarAppearance (Boolean - iOS) Specifies whether the status bar appearance is based on the style preferred by the view controller that is currently under the status bar. When this key is not present or its value is set to YES, the view controller determines the status bar style. When the key is set to NO, view controllers (or the app) must each set the status bar style explicitly using the UIApplication object.

This key is supported in iOS 7.0 and later.

UIViewEdgeAntialiasing

UIViewEdgeAntialiasing (Boolean - iOS) Specifies whether Core Animation layers use antialiasing when drawing a layer that is not aligned to pixel boundaries.

This key is supported in iOS 3.0 and later.

UIViewGroupOpacity

UIViewGroupOpacity (Boolean - iOS) Specifies whether Core Animation sublayers inherit the opacity of their superlayer.

This key is supported in iOS 3.0 and later.

UIWhitePointAdaptivityStyle

UIWhitePointAdaptivityStyle (String - iOS) Specifies the app’s white point adaptivity style, enabled on devices with True Tone displays.

If your app’s use of the screen is at odds with the standard color shift provided by True Tone, employ this key to describe your app’s primary visual content. For example:

• For a photo editing app, color fidelity is more important than automatic adjustment to the environmental white point. Use the UIWhitePointAdaptivityStylePhoto style to reduce the strength of True Tone shift applied by the system.

• For a reading app, conformance with the environmental white point is helpful to users. Use the UIWhitePointAdaptivityStyleReading style to increase the strength of True Tone shift applied by the system.

In Split View and in Slide Over, the entire screen employs the white point adaptivity style of the app with the weaker adaptivity style. For example, with a photo editing app (UIWhitePointAdaptivityStylePhoto) and a reading app (UIWhitePointAdaptivityStyleReading) both onscreen, the entire screen employs the UIWhitePointAdaptivityStylePhoto style.

This key is supported in iOS 9.3 and later.