iOS flows, patterns & behavior — HIG (iOS 26)

Source: Apple HIG Patterns, Motion, Accessibility, Playing haptics pages (read June 2026). ios-components covers the controls; this covers flows and behavior.

Onboarding & launch

• Onboarding is optional, skippable, fast, fun — and happens after launch, not as part of it. Teach by doing, not slideshows; prefer contextual tips (TipKit) over one big flow. Don't re-show a skipped tutorial. Postpone nonessential setup; provide good defaults so people start immediately. No licensing/disclaimers in onboarding.
• Permission timing: integrate a permission request into onboarding only if the app can't function without that data; otherwise request it when the person first uses the feature that needs it. Never request at launch unless the reason is self-evident (a maps app needing location).
• Launch screen = a fast-launch illusion, not branding/onboarding. Make it nearly identical to the first real screen (match orientation + light/dark); no text (won't localize); no logos unless they're a fixed part of the first screen. Restore previous state on relaunch.

Loading

• "The best content-loading experience finishes before people become aware of it." Show placeholder content immediately (text/graphics/animation), replace as data arrives — never a blank screen (reads as broken). Load in the background. Use a determinate indicator when duration is known, indeterminate when not.

Modality, feedback, settings

• Modality decision: full-screen modal for in-depth/complex tasks; sheet/popover for a scoped task tied to current context; alert for critical info. Keep modal tasks short; always provide an obvious dismissal; confirm before losing content; one modal at a time.
• Feedback: use multiple channels — color, text, sound, haptics — so it lands whether silenced, looked-away, or on VoiceOver. Put status near the thing it describes. Warn before unexpected irreversible loss; don't warn when loss is the expected result. Mostly tell people when something fails (success is assumed). Use alerts judiciously.
• Settings: ship great defaults so most people change nothing; minimize the number of settings; don't ask for info you can detect; respect (don't duplicate) systemwide settings; put task-specific options in the screen they affect, not buried in a settings page.