iOS app design principles: what Apple expects from good apps

Open the App Store today and you will see thousands of iOS apps. Only a small part of them actually feels like something Apple would proudly showcase. The difference is not magic, it is solid iOS app design principles applied with discipline.

Apple expects good apps to respect certain patterns, values, and user expectations on every screen. If you ignore those expectations, reviewers and users will both feel that something is slightly off.

In this article I want to walk through the core principles Apple cares about the most. Along the way I will share practical examples and a few honest stories from real projects.

Understanding what Apple expects from good apps

Apple documents its expectations through the Human Interface Guidelines and platform specific design sessions. These resources explain how an iOS app should look, feel, and behave to match the ecosystem. You do not need to memorize every line, but you must understand the spirit behind them.

At a high level Apple cares about clarity, deference to content, and a feeling of depth.

Your interface should help the content shine rather than showing off clever decoration or random effects. Navigation must feel predictable, gestures should feel natural, and visual hierarchy has to guide the eye. Every layout, color choice, and animation should basically answer one question, does this help the user.

When that question drives your design decisions, Apple usually becomes much friendlier during review, and users notice.

Clarity and focus in iOS app design

Clarity is the foundation of good iOS app design and Apple treats it very seriously. Each screen should make its main purpose obvious so that users never guess what to do next. If your screen feels like a dashboard from a complex cockpit, something probably went wrong earlier in the process.

To keep clarity, start by giving each screen one primary action and one primary piece of content. Secondary actions can exist, but they should never compete visually with the core thing you want done. I sometimes sketch screens using simple boxes and text only, just to see whether the focus feels clear. When that low fidelity version already feels confusing, the pixel perfect design will not save it later.

Here are some habits I rely on when I want brutal clarity in a layout.

1. Use a single obvious primary button and make secondary actions look clearly less important.

2. Reduce long text blocks into shorter sentences so users can scan on a busy commute.

3. Hide advanced settings behind a clearly labelled section instead of scattering toggles across unrelated screens.

4. Ask yourself what users absolutely must do on each screen and remove everything that does not support that.

Consistency and familiarity

Apple loves consistency because it keeps the platform predictable for users across different apps. When your design respects common patterns, people can transfer skills from other apps without thinking. I know creative designers sometimes want to reinvent everything, but Apple usually does not share that enthusiasm.

Use standard navigation bars, tab bars, lists, and controls wherever they make sense for your flow. System components handle accessibility, layout changes, and platform behavior more reliably than custom widgets. You can still customize colors and typography while keeping the underlying structure familiar to users. Think of it like cooking, you can add your flavor, but the plate still looks recognizably like dinner.

Here are a few places where consistency really matters more than novelty in iOS apps.

1. Navigation patterns such as tab bars, side menus, and standard back gestures.

2. Placement of key actions, including primary buttons at the bottom and destructive actions grouped safely.

3. Use of common icons like search, settings, and share so users immediately recognize their purpose.

4. Interaction with system features such as notifications, camera access, and photo library permissions.

Depth, hierarchy and navigation

Apple expects iOS apps to present content in a clear hierarchy rather than an endless flat maze. Users should always know where they are, how they got there, and how to go back. When the navigation model feels confusing, no amount of animation will fix the underlying structure.

Use navigation stacks for flows that drill into more detail, such as from a list to an item. Reserve modals for short tasks that interrupt the normal flow, like editing a profile or confirming an action.

Tabs work well when you have different primary sections that deserve equal weight inside the app. I like to sketch navigation maps on paper first, like a small city map for the product. If that map looks like a plate of tangled noodles, you probably need a simpler structure.

Designing for touch and ergonomics

Great iOS app design respects human hands, not just color palettes and typography samples. Touch targets should be large enough, spaced clearly, and placed where thumbs can reach comfortably. If you ever needed two hands to tap a tiny control near the top corner, you know the pain.

Apple suggests a minimum touch target size, and your design should treat that as a real requirement. Buttons squeezed tightly together invite mis taps, especially when someone uses the app on a train.

I like to test layouts one handed on different devices and see when my thumb complains first. Here are some ergonomic mistakes that show up again and again in iOS interfaces.

1. Placing critical controls only at the very top where thumbs struggle to reach.

2. Using very small icons without labels so people must guess their meaning.

3. Packing several destructive actions together, like delete and archive, with almost no space between them.

4. Ignoring landscape orientation where certain tasks, such as watching content, feel far more natural.

Motion, feedback and delight

Motion in iOS apps should support understanding rather than exist purely for decoration or personal amusement. Animations can show where something came from, where it goes, and how different elements relate. If your animation feels like a magic trick that hides information, Apple will not be impressed.

Use subtle motion to guide focus, for example when a new card slides gently into view.

Pair visual changes with haptic feedback where appropriate so users get a sense of physicality. I like to ask whether every animation could be made slightly shorter without harming understanding. If the answer is yes again and again, there is a good chance your motion is too heavy.

Accessibility and inclusive design on iOS

Apple places strong emphasis on accessibility, and design that ignores this usually feels unfinished. Good iOS app design works with larger text sizes, screen readers, and reduced motion preferences. The goal is not minimal compliance, it is a product that more people can actually use comfortably.

Support Dynamic Type so users who prefer larger text can still navigate without clipped labels or overlapping content. Check color contrast carefully and avoid relying only on color to communicate important information.

VoiceOver users should hear meaningful descriptions of interactive elements rather than generic button labels. I find it helpful to run through core flows with accessibility features enabled, just to feel what breaks. Once you fix those issues, your app often feels cleaner for everyone, not only for users with disabilities.

Preparing your design for localization

Even if you launch in one language first, Apple expects that serious apps can grow globally. Design for mobile app localization from the start so you are not trapped by fixed layouts later. Text will expand, currencies will change, and sometimes layouts need mirroring for right to left languages.

Avoid baking text into images, keep generous margins, and support longer labels without truncating every second word. Plan space in buttons and navigation items for translations that are naturally more verbose than English. I like to prototype one imaginary language that stretches everything, just to see where things break early. When the time comes to actually localize, your iOS app design will already be ready for that expansion.

Conclusion: designing the kind of app Apple loves

Designing an iOS app that Apple truly respects is less about tricks and more about discipline. Clarity, consistency, hierarchy, motion, accessibility, and localization all work together to create a coherent experience. When each principle informs real design choices, your interface starts to feel naturally at home on iOS.

Apple reviewers notice when you respect the platform, but regular users probably notice it even more.

Spend time mapping flows, testing gestures, and refining details before you add extra visual decoration. If you keep learning from real usage and from the Human Interface Guidelines, every release will feel more polished. And remember, if your app looks confusing enough to scare you before coffee, it probably scares the reviewer too.