What is app intent
Generated on 8/4/2024
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App intents are a way to expose the core features and functionalities of your app to the system, allowing them to be used in various system experiences like Siri, Spotlight, and Shortcuts. An app intent consists of a summary of what it does, which starts with the app followed by a verb, and includes the parameters that people need to fill out before the intent is run.
App intents can be combined with other intents into shortcuts to create powerful new flows that they could not do alone. They are designed to be flexible and readable across many configurations and use cases. For example, an app intent might open a specific view in your app or perform a task like creating a photo album or a freeform board.
In iOS 18, the guidance has been updated to suggest that anything your app does should be an app intent, not just the most habitual tasks. This allows for a richer set of functionalities to be exposed and used outside of your app.
For more detailed guidance on designing app intents, you can refer to the session Design App Intents for system experiences.
Relevant Sessions
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.
Bring your app to Siri
Learn how to use App Intents to expose your app’s functionality to Siri. Understand which intents are already available for your use, and how to create custom intents to integrate actions from your app into the system. We’ll also cover what metadata to provide, making your entities searchable via Spotlight, annotating onscreen references, and much more.
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.