ipados-design-guidelines
Master iPad-native design with comprehensive rules for responsive layouts, multitasking support, and pointer interactions. Learn to build adaptive interfaces that work across iPad Mini through Pro, handle Split View and Stage Manager resizing, implement sidebar navigation, and add trackpad hover effects—ensuring your app feels native on larger screens rather than a stretched iPhone.
iPadOS Design Guidelines helps you build adaptive layouts that work across all iPad sizes and multitasking modes.
AI-generated summary based on this skill's SKILL.md
Install
ehmo/platform-design-skills/ipados
git clone https://github.com/ehmo/platform-design-skills
cp -r platform-design-skills/skills/ipados ~/.claude/skills/ipadosFrequently asked questions
AI-generated answers based on this skill's SKILL.md and metadata
How do I make an iPad app with split view support?
ipados-design-guidelines teaches you to build adaptive iPad layouts that work across all screen sizes and multitasking modes, including Split View. Use size classes and trait collections to detect when your app runs in split-screen or Stage Manager configurations. Design your interface to reflow gracefully—sidebars can collapse, multi-column layouts adapt, and content reorganizes for narrower widths. Test across iPad Mini, Air, and Pro to ensure your app responds properly to every possible window size, not just full-screen display.
What's the best way to implement iPad sidebar navigation instead of tab bars?
ipados-design-guidelines emphasizes implementing iPad-native navigation with sidebars and multi-column layouts as a core principle. Replace bottom tab bars with collapsible sidebars on the leading edge—they adapt to available space and feel native on larger screens. Use UISplitViewController or NavigationSplitView to manage your primary navigation and detail content. On compact widths, sidebars can hide or slide in as drawers. This approach leverages iPad's horizontal space and aligns with Apple's Human Interface Guidelines for productivity-focused apps.
How do I add pointer, trackpad, and keyboard support for iPad productivity?
ipados-design-guidelines covers adding pointer, trackpad, and keyboard support for productivity workflows. Implement hover effects for trackpad users, enable keyboard shortcuts (especially Cmd key combinations), and support context menus for right-click interactions. Add full keyboard navigation so users can tab through controls and trigger actions without touching the screen. Test with external keyboards and trackpads to ensure your app feels responsive and efficient for power users working on iPad with accessories.
What's the right way to support drag and drop between iPad apps?
ipados-design-guidelines teaches you to support drag-and-drop and inter-app content sharing on iPad. Implement UIDragInteraction and UIDropInteraction (or Transferable in SwiftUI) to let users drag content from your app to others and vice versa. Handle multiple item types, provide visual feedback during dragging, and ensure your drop targets are clear. This enables seamless workflows where users move text, images, files, and data between apps—a key iPad productivity feature that distinguishes native iPad apps from scaled iPhone versions.
How do I ensure full accessibility including VoiceOver and keyboard navigation?
ipados-design-guidelines emphasizes ensuring full accessibility including VoiceOver, keyboard navigation, and user preferences. Set proper accessibility labels and hints for all interactive elements, support full keyboard access so every function is reachable without VoiceOver, and respect user preferences like increased contrast, bold text, and dynamic type sizes. Test with VoiceOver enabled and external keyboards to confirm your app is usable by everyone. Accessibility isn't optional—it's essential for iPad apps serving diverse users.
Why shouldn't I just scale up my iPhone app design for iPad?
ipados-design-guidelines stresses that iPad apps must be native designs, not stretched iPhone versions. iPad's larger screen, multitasking capabilities, pointer support, and productivity focus demand different layouts and interactions. Use sidebars instead of tab bars, implement multi-column designs, add trackpad hover effects, and support Stage Manager resizing. Leverage iPad's unique hardware like Apple Pencil and external displays. An app designed for iPad feels purposeful and efficient; a scaled iPhone app feels cramped and out of place.
SKILL.md
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iPadOS Design Guidelines
Comprehensive rules for building iPad-native apps following Apple's Human Interface Guidelines. iPad is not a big iPhone -- it demands adaptive layouts, multitasking support, pointer interactions, keyboard shortcuts, and inter-app drag and drop. These rules extend iOS patterns for the larger, more capable canvas.
1. Responsive Layout (CRITICAL)
1.1 Use Adaptive Size Classes
iPad presents two horizontal size classes: regular (full screen, large splits) and compact (Slide Over, narrow splits). Design for both. Never hardcode dimensions.
```swift struct AdaptiveView: View { @Environment(.horizontalSizeClass) var sizeClass
var body: some View {
if sizeClass == .regular {
TwoColumnLayout()
} else {
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skills/ipados/AGENTS.md
skills/ipados/SKILL.md
skills/ipados/metadata.json
skills/ipados/rules/_sections.md