Apple HIG Inputs (13 types · Touch/Gestures/Keyboard/Pointing/Pencil/Digital Crown/Eye tracking/Remote/Game controller)

What users use to "touch" your app: fingers, Pencil, keyboard, pointer, eyes, Digital Crown, remote, game controller.Ironclad rules across all inputs: do not assume there is only one input method; do not redefine standard gestures or shortcuts; do not rely on a single input method for critical operations. Each entry includes applicable platforms + best practices + anti-patterns.

1. General interactions: Gestures / Keyboard / Pointing devices

Gestures(All platforms) — Users have fixed expectations for standard gestures (tap, swipe, drag).

· Maintain consistency: Tap = activate/select; do not assign unique operations to familiar gestures, and do not invent unique gestures for standard actions (buttons/scrolling). · Respond quickly and provide feedback; clearly indicate when a gesture is unavailable (otherwise users will think the app is frozen). · Custom gestures Add them only for high-frequency tasks not covered by standard gestures (games/drawing), and make them easy to discover, easy to perform, clearly distinct, and not the only way to perform the action; do not conflict with system gestures. · Platform notes: iPadOS three-finger cut, copy, paste, undo; visionOS air tap/pinch; watchOS 11+ double-tap gesture (list scrolling/primary action,do not assign primary actions in lists/scroll views as this will cause conflicts).

Keyboards(All platforms except watchOS)

· Support Full Keyboard Access(full keyboard navigation, an accessibility feature); do not customize navigation behavior (leave that to the system);Follow standard shortcuts and do not alter them(Cmd-A/C/V/X/Z, Cmd-, for Settings, Cmd-Space for Spotlight). · Modifier key order:Control → Option → Shift → Command; assign custom shortcuts only to high-frequency actions and use Command as the primary modifier key (do not use Control, which is reserved by the system). · On iPadOS/visionOS, long-press Command to show the shortcuts panel.

Pointing devices(Primary on Mac / supplementary on iPad / visionOS, not a replacement for touch or eye input)

· Keep gestures consistent across apps; do not redefine system-level trackpad gestures; use controls that automatically minimize when the pointer hides (such as full-screen video playback controls). · Three iPadOS content effects:① Highlight(semi-transparent rounded rectangle, for small elements with transparent backgrounds such as bar buttons) ② Lift(parallax + raise + shadow, for small opaque elements such as app icons) ③ Hover(custom scaling/tinting/shadow, for large elements). · Pointer snapping: Elements "snap" the pointer, with tappable areas extending beyond visible bounds (add ~12pt padding for bordered elements, ~24pt for borderless elements); do not apply snapping to elements with hover effects (it creates a sense of lost control). · Custom pointers should be simple and serve a practical purpose (purely decorative pointers frustrate users); do not use the pointer to display instructional text. · macOS has a full set of standard pointer styles (arrow/I-beam/hand/crosshair/resizing arrows for all directions…) and a gesture-to-behavior reference table.

2. Pencil and precision input

Apple Pencil & Scribble(iPad)

· Respond instantly like a real pen (do not require multiple taps); respond to tilt, pressure, azimuth, and barrel roll (grip rotation) to adjust strokes; automatically activate markup controls when Pencil approaches; design for both left- and right-handed users (do not let hands obscure controls). · Hover: Preview the color/thickness that will be drawn; do not use hover to directly perform actions (low precision leads to accidental taps); use the middle of the dynamic range for preview values. · Double tap: Defaults to switching between tool and eraser, and can be customized; do not use double tap for termination actions. · Squeeze(Pencil Pro): Trigger with a single quick squeeze; do not use it for destructive actions, and make actions easy to undo;barrel roll switch brushes (for drawing use only). · Scribble: Handwriting input in any standard text field (no setup required); do not let surrounding controls flicker or move while writing; make fields large enough. · For custom drawing, use PencilKit PencilKit(low-latency toolbar + color palette); show undo and redo buttons in compact environments and support three-finger gestures.

3. Dedicated hardware inputs

4. TV and game inputs

Focus and selection(tvOS / iPadOS / macOS)

· Focus usually equals selection (unless it would cause unnecessary context switching); rely on system focus effects instead of creating your own;do not change focus automatically(when the user is not interacting); hide the indicator when the focused object disappears. · tvOS uses parallax effect+ five states: Unfocused/Focused/Highlighted/Selected/Unavailable; focused magnification requires high-resolution assets. · iPadOS focus groups: Tab moves across groups, arrow keys move within groups; halo effect; move in reading order; focus priority is adjustable. · Use focus rings for text/search fields, highlights for lists/collections.

Game controls(iOS/iPadOS/macOS/tvOS/visionOS, not supported on watchOS)

· Must support the platform's default input(not everyone has a controller) + optional physical controllers. · Touch: If users can tap objects directly, do not add virtual buttons; place buttons away from system UI (Dynamic Island/Home indicator); minimum 44×44pt for common buttons, 28×28pt for secondary buttons; provide visual + audio + haptic feedback on press; use intuitive icons (do not use abstract labels like A/X/R1); floating joystick for movement, right side of screen for camera control. · Physical controllers: Match UI to the actual controller button graphics; use standard mapping (A confirm/B cancel/shoulder buttons switch screens/Menu pauses); distinguish players for multiple controllers; use SF Symbols game controller symbols. · Keyboard: Single-key commands (I for inventory/M for map/Space for primary action); lay out keys according to hand distance; support custom key bindings.

Remotes(tvOS)

· Prioritize standard gestures for standard actions (except when playing games); align with the focus experience (focus moves in the direction of the gesture); provide clear feedback. · Distinguish between presses (intentional, select/activate) and taps (navigate/show info), avoid responding to accidental taps (especially during video playback); the Back button opens the parent screen (opens the pause menu in games to prevent accidental taps); Play/Pause correctly responds to media; support the remote's EPG page up/down keys.

Derived from Inputs (13 articles). For input-related interaction flows (gesture-triggered drag and drop/undo, etc.), see Apple HIG Interaction Patterns (25 flow patterns · Onboarding/Input/Feedback/Media/System collaboration); for deeper coverage of visionOS eye and hand gestures, see Apple HIG visionOS Spatial Computing (eye and hand gestures/immersion spectrum/comfort science/spatial UI/SharePlay).