iOS Widgets & Extensions

iOS Widgets & App Extensions

Design guidelines for widgets, App Clips, and system extensions.

Table of Contents

1. Widget Design
2. Widget Configuration
3. App Clips
4. Share Extensions
5. Action Extensions
6. Live Activities
7. Widget Development Tips

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Widget Design

Widget Philosophy

Widgets provide glanceable information on the Home Screen, Lock Screen, and StandBy mode. They are not mini-apps—they're windows into your app's most useful content.

Key principles:

• Show immediately useful information
• Update content thoughtfully (not constantly)
• Respect the user's Home Screen aesthetic
• Drive users to the app for deeper engagement

Widget Sizes

Home Screen widgets:

Size	Name	Grid Units	Use Case
Small	systemSmall	2×2	Single piece of information
Medium	systemMedium	4×2	Key content + one interaction
Large	systemLarge	4×4	Rich content, multiple items
Extra Large	systemExtraLarge	8×4	iPad only, dashboard view

Lock Screen widgets (iOS 16+):

Size	Name	Characteristics
Circular	accessoryCircular	Small icon or gauge
Rectangular	accessoryRectangular	Text + small visual
Inline	accessoryInline	Text only, above time

Widget Content Guidelines

Do:

• Show the most important information
• Update content at meaningful intervals
• Use the app's visual style
• Support multiple sizes (let users choose)
• Provide multiple widget types if you have different use cases

Don't:

• Cram too much information
• Show stale data
• Use widgets for advertising
• Require interaction to see content
• Update too frequently (drains battery)

Small Widget Design

┌─────────────────────┐
│                     │
│    [Icon/Image]     │
│                     │
│    Primary Info     │
│    Secondary        │
│                     │
└─────────────────────┘

Guidelines:

• One tap target (entire widget)
• Essential info only
• Clear visual hierarchy
• No buttons or complex interactions

Medium Widget Design

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  [Icon]                                 │
│  Title               ┌─────────────┐    │
│  Subtitle            │   Action    │    │
│                      └─────────────┘    │
│  Additional context                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Guidelines:

• Can have multiple tap targets
• Show 2-4 pieces of information
• Actions should be quick (open to specific view)

Large Widget Design

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Header                          Edit   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐   │
│  │ Item 1  │ │ Item 2  │ │ Item 3  │   │
│  └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘   │
│                                         │
│  ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐   │
│  │ Item 4  │ │ Item 5  │ │ Item 6  │   │
│  └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Guidelines:

• Multiple tap targets allowed
• Show a collection or dashboard
• Include clear visual grouping
• Optional: Edit configuration

Lock Screen Widget Design

Lock Screen widgets have limited space and no color.

Circular:

┌─────┐
│ 73° │  Temperature
│ ☀️  │  Weather icon
└─────┘

Rectangular:

┌─────────────────────┐
│ Next Event          │
│ Team Meeting @ 2pm  │
└─────────────────────┘

Best practices:

• Design for small size
• Use SF Symbols (render well)
• Test in Light and Dark modes
• Consider StandBy mode (larger display)

---

Widget Configuration

User-Configurable Widgets

Allow users to customize what the widget shows:

struct ConfigurationIntent: WidgetConfigurationIntent {
    static var title: LocalizedStringResource = "Configuration"

    @Parameter(title: "City")
    var city: City?

    @Parameter(title: "Units")
    var units: TemperatureUnit
}

Configuration UI:

• Keep options simple (few parameters)
• Provide sensible defaults
• Preview changes before confirming

Widget Families

Support multiple sizes:

struct MyWidget: Widget {
    var body: some WidgetConfiguration {
        StaticConfiguration(kind: "MyWidget", provider: Provider()) { entry in
            MyWidgetView(entry: entry)
        }
        .supportedFamilies([.systemSmall, .systemMedium, .systemLarge])
    }
}

---

App Clips

What App Clips Are

App Clips are lightweight versions of your app (<10MB) for quick, focused tasks without full installation.

Invocation points:

• NFC tags
• QR codes
• App Clip codes
• Safari Smart App Banner
• Maps
• Messages

App Clip Design Principles

1. Focus on one task

• Rent a bike
• Order food
• Pay for parking

2. Minimize required information

• Only ask for what's essential
• Use Sign in with Apple
• Use Apple Pay

3. Fast experience

• User expects to finish in under a minute
• No lengthy onboarding
• Minimal UI, maximum function

4. Encourage full app download

• Show value of full app
• Make download easy (banner)
• Don't block functionality to force download

App Clip UI Guidelines

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  [Header: What you can do]              │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                         │
│  [Primary action UI]                    │
│                                         │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │        [Apple Pay]              │    │
│  └─────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Get the full app for more features     │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │        Download App             │    │
│  └─────────────────────────────────┘    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

App Clip Code Design

App Clip Codes are scannable codes that launch App Clips:

       ┌─────────────────┐
      ╱                   ╲
     │   [App Clip Code]   │
     │   Circular pattern  │
     │   with NFC chip     │
      ╲                   ╱
       └─────────────────┘
         Scan or tap to
         rent a scooter

Placement guidelines:

• Clear call to action below code
• Explain what will happen
• Accessible height (3.5-5 feet)
• Well-lit, clean surface

---

Share Extensions

Share Extension Design

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Post to [App Name]                 ✕   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │ [Preview of content]            │    │
│  └─────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                                         │
│  Add a comment...                       │
│                                         │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │           Share               │    │
│  └─────────────────────────────────┘    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Guidelines:

• Show preview of shared content
• Minimal configuration options
• Quick completion (< 10 seconds ideal)
• Clear success/error feedback

---

Action Extensions

Action Extension Design

Action extensions process content in place:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Markup                             Done │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                         │
│  [Modified content preview]             │
│                                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  [Tools for modification]               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Guidelines:

• Focus on specific task
• Return modified content to host app
• Match system UI conventions
• Support undo/cancel

---

Live Activities

What Live Activities Are

Real-time updates on Lock Screen and Dynamic Island for ongoing events:

• Sports scores
• Delivery tracking
• Timers
• Ride sharing

Live Activity Design

Lock Screen (expanded):

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  [Leading]     [Center]      [Trailing] │
│  Team A           vs           Team B   │
│    24            Q3             21      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Dynamic Island (compact):

┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│  🏀  24 - 21  Q3                     │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘

Dynamic Island (expanded):

┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Lakers          vs          Celtics   │
│    24                          21      │
│  ────────────────────────────────────  │
│       Q3  •  4:32 remaining            │
└────────────────────────────────────────┘

Live Activity Guidelines

Do:

• Update only when meaningful changes occur
• Design for all Dynamic Island states
• Provide clear end states
• Respect 8-hour maximum duration

Don't:

• Update every second (unless timer)
• Show static content
• Use for notifications
• Require interaction to see status

---

Widget Development Tips

Timeline Updates

func getTimeline(in context: Context, completion: @escaping (Timeline<Entry>) -> ()) {
    let entries = [
        SimpleEntry(date: Date(), data: currentData),
        SimpleEntry(date: Date().addingTimeInterval(60*15), data: futureData)
    ]

    let timeline = Timeline(entries: entries, policy: .atEnd)
    completion(timeline)
}

Update policies:

• .atEnd - Update when all entries displayed
• .after(date) - Update at specific time
• .never - Only update on user action

Deep Links

Widgets should link to specific content:

Link(destination: URL(string: "myapp://item/\(item.id)")!) {
    ItemView(item: item)
}

Placeholder Design

Show meaningful placeholder while loading:

struct PlaceholderView: View {
    var body: some View {
        VStack {
            RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 8)
                .fill(Color.gray.opacity(0.3))
            RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 4)
                .fill(Color.gray.opacity(0.2))
        }
    }
}