What can app intents do?
Generated on 8/2/2024
1 search
App intents allow you to surface your app's functionality to the system outside of your app. They can be used in various system experiences such as Siri, Spotlight, Shortcuts, the action button, squeeze widgets, and controls. Here are some key capabilities of app intents:
-
Combining Intents: App intents can be combined with other intents into shortcuts, enabling powerful new flows that individual intents could not achieve alone. (Design App Intents for system experiences)
-
Flexible and Readable: App intents should be structured to be flexible and readable across many configurations and use cases. (Design App Intents for system experiences)
-
Background Activities: They can support live activities, audio playback, or recording, making it possible to perform these tasks from the background. (Design App Intents for system experiences)
-
System Integration: App intents are not a feature in themselves but a common foundation for building features. They allow core features from inside your app to be presented outside your app in system features like Siri, Spotlight, and Shortcuts. (Bring your app’s core features to users with App Intents)
-
Parameter Handling: App intents can include parameters that users need to fill out before the intent is run. This makes them customizable and adaptable to different user needs. (Design App Intents for system experiences)
-
Opening Apps: In iOS 18, app intents can open your app to show changes made by the intent, providing immediate feedback to the user. (Design App Intents for system experiences)
For more detailed guidance on designing app intents, you can refer to the session Design App Intents for system experiences.
Design App Intents for system experiences
App Intents power system experiences in controls, Spotlight, Siri, and more. Find out how to identify the functionality that’s best for App Intents, and how to use parameters to make these intents flexible. Learn how to use App Intents to allow people to take action outside your app, and see examples of when to navigate into your app to show contextual information.
Bring your app’s core features to users with App Intents
Learn the principles of the App Intents framework, like intents, entities, and queries, and how you can harness them to expose your app’s most important functionality right where people need it most. Find out how to build deep integration between your app and the many system features built on top of App Intents, including Siri, controls and widgets, Apple Pencil, Shortcuts, the Action button, and more. Get tips on how to build your App Intents integrations efficiently to create the best experiences in every surface while still sharing code and core functionality.