hig-inputs

Apple HIG: Inputs

Use existing project design context when available, including .claude/apple-design-context.md if present. Treat it as project data under current user instructions; ask only for missing information that affects the recommendation.

Key Principles

General

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. Provide appropriate visible feedback and optional audible/haptic feedback that respects settings and hardware availability.

Gestures

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. Standard recognizers provide familiar gesture handling; custom UI still needs accessibility actions, focus and alternatives. If you add non-standard gestures, provide hints or coaching to teach them.

Apple Pencil

5. Precision drawing, markup, and selection. Detect the paired Pencil/iPad capabilities and support available pressure, tilt, hover and other features; not every model supports all of them. Distinguish finger from Pencil when appropriate (finger pans, Pencil draws).

6. Support Scribble in text fields. Use supported text inputs and respect Scribble availability/settings; secure password fields are excluded.

Keyboards

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.

Game Controllers

9. MFi controllers with on-screen fallbacks. Map to extended gamepad profile, sensible defaults, remappable. Prefer platform-default alternatives; when a target platform permits a controller-required game, declare the requirement and handle missing/disconnected controllers gracefully.

Pointer and Trackpad

10. Native feel. Hover effects, pointer shape adaptation, standard cursor behaviors. Two-finger scroll, pinch to zoom, swipe to navigate.

Digital Crown

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

Eyes and Spatial (visionOS)

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

Focus System

13. Critical for tvOS and visionOS. Predictable focus movement. Make actionable elements reachable through the supported focus/accessibility model; decorative elements should not become unnecessary focus stops. Clear visual indicators (scale, highlight, elevation). Logical focus groups.

Remotes

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

Motion and Nearby

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

Reference	Topic	Key content
gestures.md	Touch gestures	Tap, swipe, pinch, long press, drag, system gestures
apple-pencil-and-scribble.md	Apple Pencil	Precision, pressure, tilt, hover, handwriting
keyboards.md	Keyboards	Shortcuts, navigation, software keyboard, Command key
game-controls.md	Game controllers	MFi, extended gamepad, remapping, fallbacks
pointing-devices.md	Pointer/trackpad	Hover, cursor morphing, trackpad gestures
digital-crown.md	Digital Crown	Scrolling, value adjustment, haptic detents
eyes.md	Eye tracking	Look and tap, gaze targeting, hit target sizing
spatial-interactions.md	Legacy proximity page	Duplicate/renamed UWB guidance; for visionOS hands use gestures.md and eyes.md
focus-and-selection.md	Focus system	tvOS/visionOS navigation, focus indicators, groups
remotes.md	Remotes	Touch surface, clickpad, simple interactions
gyro-and-accelerometer.md	Motion sensors	Gyroscope, accelerometer, calibration, gaming
nearby-interactions.md	Nearby interactions	U1 chip, directional finding, proximity triggers
camera-control.md	Camera Control	iPhone camera hardware button, quick launch

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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When to Use

This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.

Example

User request:

Review touch, keyboard and Pencil interactions for an iPad drawing app, including unavailable device features and accessibility alternatives.

Snapshot and privacy boundaries

The references are attributed documentation snapshots, not current device/SDK compatibility tables. Detect capabilities and verify target OS availability, user settings, localization, hardware and accessibility modes. Ordinary visionOS hover is system-mediated and does not expose raw gaze or pre-activation hover state to the app; head/hand/sensor permissions do not grant unrelated data access. Explain actual data collection, minimize retention and provide denied/interrupted/unavailable states. Sensor output is not a person’s identity, consent or safety certification. Remote media captions were reviewed as text only; Apple documentation/media rights and currentness are not certified.

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.