App Intents (iOS 26+)
Implement, review, and extend App Intents to expose app functionality to Siri,
Shortcuts, Spotlight, widgets, Control Center, and Apple Intelligence.
Contents
Triage Workflow
AppIntent Protocol
@Parameter
AppEntity
EntityQuery (4 Variants)
AppEnum
AppShortcutsProvider
Siri Integration
Interactive Widget Intents
Control Center Widgets (iOS 18+)
Spotlight and IndexedEntity (iOS 18+)
iOS 26 Additions
Common Mistakes
Review Checklist
References
Triage Workflow
Step 1: Identify the integration surface
Determine which system feature the intent targets:
Surface
Protocol
Since
Siri / Shortcuts
AppIntent
iOS 16
Configurable widget
WidgetConfigurationIntent
iOS 17
Control Center
ControlConfigurationIntent
iOS 18
Spotlight search
IndexedEntity
iOS 18
Apple Intelligence
@AppIntent(schema:)
iOS 18
Interactive snippets
SnippetIntent
iOS 26
Visual Intelligence
IntentValueQuery
iOS 26
Step 2: Define the data model
Create
AppEntity
shadow models (do NOT conform core data models directly).
Create
AppEnum
types for fixed parameter choices.
Choose the right
EntityQuery
variant for resolution.
Mark searchable entities with
IndexedEntity
and
@Property(indexingKey:)
.
Step 3: Implement the intent
Conform to
AppIntent
(or a specialized sub-protocol).
Declare
@Parameter
properties for all user-facing inputs.
Implement
perform() async throws -> some IntentResult
.
Add
parameterSummary
for Shortcuts UI.
Register phrases via
AppShortcutsProvider
.
Step 4: Verify
Build and run in Shortcuts app to confirm parameter resolution.
Test Siri phrases with the intent preview in Xcode.
Confirm Spotlight results for
IndexedEntity
types.
Check widget configuration for
WidgetConfigurationIntent
intents.
AppIntent Protocol
The system instantiates the struct via
init()
, sets parameters, then calls
perform()
. Declare a
title
and
parameterSummary
for Shortcuts UI.
struct
OrderSoupIntent
:
AppIntent
{
static
var
title
:
LocalizedStringResource
=
"Order Soup"
static
var
description
=
IntentDescription
(
"Place a soup order."
)
@Parameter
(
title
:
"Soup"
)
var
soup
:
SoupEntity
@Parameter
(
title
:
"Quantity"
,
default
:
1
)
var
quantity
:
Int
static
var
parameterSummary
:
some
ParameterSummary
{
Summary
(
"Order
(
\
.
$soup
)
"
)
{
\
.
$quantity
}
}
func
perform
(
)
async
throws
->
some
IntentResult
{
try
await
OrderService
.
shared
.
place
(
soup
:
soup
.
id
,
quantity
:
quantity
)
return
.
result
(
dialog
:
"Ordered
(
quantity
)
(
soup
.
name
)
."
)
}
}
Optional members:
description
(
IntentDescription
),
openAppWhenRun
(
Bool
),
isDiscoverable
(
Bool
),
authenticationPolicy
(
IntentAuthenticationPolicy
).
@Parameter
Declare each user-facing input with
@Parameter
. Optional parameters are not
required; non-optional parameters with a
default
are pre-filled.
// WRONG: Non-optional parameter without default -- system cannot preview
@Parameter
(
title
:
"Count"
)
var
count
:
Int
// CORRECT: Provide a default or make optional
@Parameter
(
title
:
"Count"
,
default
:
1
)
var
count
:
Int
@Parameter
(
title
:
"Count"
)
var
count
:
Int
?
Supported value types
Primitives:
Int
,
Double
,
Bool
,
String
,
URL
,
Date
,
DateComponents
.
Framework:
Currency
,
Person
,
IntentFile
. Measurements:
Measurement
See references/appintents-advanced.md for all initializer variants. AppEntity Create shadow models that mirror app data -- never conform core data model types directly. struct SoupEntity : AppEntity { static let defaultQuery = SoupEntityQuery ( ) static var typeDisplayRepresentation : TypeDisplayRepresentation = "Soup" var id : String @Property ( title : "Name" ) var name : String @Property ( title : "Price" ) var price : Double var displayRepresentation : DisplayRepresentation { DisplayRepresentation ( title : " ( name ) " , subtitle : "$ ( String ( format : "%.2f" , price ) ) " ) } init ( from soup : Soup ) { self . id = soup . id ; self . name = soup . name ; self . price = soup . price } } Required: id , defaultQuery (static), displayRepresentation , typeDisplayRepresentation (static). Mark properties with @Property(title:) to expose for filtering/sorting. Properties without @Property remain internal. EntityQuery (4 Variants) 1. EntityQuery (base -- resolve by ID) struct SoupEntityQuery : EntityQuery { func entities ( for identifiers : [ String ] ) async throws -> [ SoupEntity ] { SoupStore . shared . soups . filter { identifiers . contains ( $0 . id ) } . map { SoupEntity ( from : $0 ) } } func suggestedEntities ( ) async throws -> [ SoupEntity ] { SoupStore . shared . featured . map { SoupEntity ( from : $0 ) } } } 2. EntityStringQuery (free-text search) struct SoupStringQuery : EntityStringQuery { func entities ( matching string : String ) async throws -> [ SoupEntity ] { SoupStore . shared . search ( string ) . map { SoupEntity ( from : $0 ) } } func entities ( for identifiers : [ String ] ) async throws -> [ SoupEntity ] { SoupStore . shared . soups . filter { identifiers . contains ( $0 . id ) } . map { SoupEntity ( from : $0 ) } } } 3. EnumerableEntityQuery (finite set) struct AllSoupsQuery : EnumerableEntityQuery { func allEntities ( ) async throws -> [ SoupEntity ] { SoupStore . shared . allSoups . map { SoupEntity ( from : $0 ) } } func entities ( for identifiers : [ String ] ) async throws -> [ SoupEntity ] { SoupStore . shared . soups . filter { identifiers . contains ( $0 . id ) } . map { SoupEntity ( from : $0 ) } } } 4. UniqueAppEntityQuery (singleton, iOS 18+) Use for single-instance entities like app settings. struct AppSettingsEntity : UniqueAppEntity { static let defaultQuery = AppSettingsQuery ( ) static var typeDisplayRepresentation : TypeDisplayRepresentation = "Settings" var displayRepresentation : DisplayRepresentation { "App Settings" } var id : String { "app-settings" } } struct AppSettingsQuery : UniqueAppEntityQuery { func entity ( ) async throws -> AppSettingsEntity { AppSettingsEntity ( ) } } See references/appintents-advanced.md for EntityPropertyQuery with filter/sort support. AppEnum Define fixed sets of selectable values. Must be backed by a LosslessStringConvertible raw value (use String ). enum SoupSize : String , AppEnum { case small , medium , large static var typeDisplayRepresentation : TypeDisplayRepresentation = "Size" static var caseDisplayRepresentations : [ SoupSize : DisplayRepresentation ] = [ . small : "Small" , . medium : "Medium" , . large : "Large" ] } // WRONG: Using Int raw value enum Priority : Int , AppEnum { // Compiler error -- Int is not LosslessStringConvertible case low = 1 , medium = 2 , high = 3 } // CORRECT: Use String raw value enum Priority : String , AppEnum { case low , medium , high // ... } AppShortcutsProvider Register pre-built shortcuts that appear in Siri and the Shortcuts app without user configuration. struct MyAppShortcuts : AppShortcutsProvider { static var appShortcuts : [ AppShortcut ] { AppShortcut ( intent : OrderSoupIntent ( ) , phrases : [ "Order ( \ . $soup ) in ( . applicationName ) " , "Get soup from ( . applicationName ) " ] , shortTitle : "Order Soup" , systemImageName : "cup.and.saucer" ) } static var shortcutTileColor : ShortcutTileColor = . navy } Phrase rules Every phrase MUST include (.applicationName) . Phrases can reference parameters: (.$soup) . Call updateAppShortcutParameters() when dynamic option values change. Use negativePhrases to prevent false Siri activations. Siri Integration Donating intents Donate intents so the system learns user patterns and suggests them in Spotlight: let intent = OrderSoupIntent ( ) intent . soup = favoriteSoupEntity try await intent . donate ( ) Predictable intents Conform to PredictableIntent for Siri prediction of upcoming actions. Interactive Widget Intents Use AppIntent with Button / Toggle in widgets. Use WidgetConfigurationIntent for configurable widget parameters. struct ToggleFavoriteIntent : AppIntent { static var title : LocalizedStringResource = "Toggle Favorite" @Parameter ( title : "Item ID" ) var itemID : String func perform ( ) async throws -> some IntentResult { FavoriteStore . shared . toggle ( itemID ) return . result ( ) } } // In widget view: Button ( intent : ToggleFavoriteIntent ( itemID : entry . id ) ) { Image ( systemName : entry . isFavorite ? "heart.fill" : "heart" ) } WidgetConfigurationIntent struct BookWidgetConfig : WidgetConfigurationIntent { static var title : LocalizedStringResource = "Favorite Book" @Parameter ( title : "Book" , default : "The Swift Programming Language" ) var bookTitle : String } // Connect to WidgetKit: struct MyWidget : Widget { var body : some WidgetConfiguration { AppIntentConfiguration ( kind : "FavoriteBook" , intent : BookWidgetConfig . self , provider : MyTimelineProvider ( ) ) { entry in BookWidgetView ( entry : entry ) } } } Control Center Widgets (iOS 18+) Expose controls in Control Center and Lock Screen with ControlConfigurationIntent and ControlWidget . struct LightControlConfig : ControlConfigurationIntent { static var title : LocalizedStringResource = "Light Control" @Parameter ( title : "Light" , default : . livingRoom ) var light : LightEntity } struct ToggleLightIntent : AppIntent { static var title : LocalizedStringResource = "Toggle Light" @Parameter ( title : "Light" ) var light : LightEntity func perform ( ) async throws -> some IntentResult { try await LightService . shared . toggle ( light . id ) return . result ( ) } } struct LightControl : ControlWidget { var body : some ControlWidgetConfiguration { AppIntentControlConfiguration ( kind : "LightControl" , intent : LightControlConfig . self ) { config in ControlWidgetToggle ( config . light . name , isOn : config . light . isOn , action : ToggleLightIntent ( light : config . light ) ) } } } Spotlight and IndexedEntity (iOS 18+) Conform to IndexedEntity for Spotlight search. On iOS 26+, use indexingKey for structured metadata: struct RecipeEntity : IndexedEntity { static let defaultQuery = RecipeQuery ( ) static var typeDisplayRepresentation : TypeDisplayRepresentation = "Recipe" var id : String @Property ( title : "Name" , indexingKey : . title ) var name : String // iOS 26+ @ComputedProperty ( indexingKey : . description ) // iOS 26+ var summary : String { " ( name ) -- a delicious recipe" } var displayRepresentation : DisplayRepresentation { DisplayRepresentation ( title : " ( name ) " ) } } iOS 26 Additions SnippetIntent Display interactive snippets in system UI: struct OrderStatusSnippet : SnippetIntent { static var title : LocalizedStringResource = "Order Status" func perform ( ) async throws -> some IntentResult & ShowsSnippetView { let status = await OrderTracker . currentStatus ( ) return . result ( view : OrderStatusSnippetView ( status : status ) ) } static func reload ( ) { / notify system to refresh / } } // A calling intent can display this snippet via: // return .result(snippetIntent: OrderStatusSnippet()) IntentValueQuery (Visual Intelligence) struct ProductValueQuery : IntentValueQuery { typealias Input = String typealias Result = ProductEntity func values ( for input : String ) async throws -> [ ProductEntity ] { ProductStore . shared . search ( input ) . map { ProductEntity ( from : $0 ) } } } Common Mistakes Conforming core data models to AppEntity. Create dedicated shadow models instead. Core models carry persistence logic that conflicts with intent lifecycle. Missing (.applicationName) in phrases. Every AppShortcut phrase MUST include the application name token. Siri uses it for disambiguation. Non-optional @Parameter without default. The system cannot preview or pre-fill such parameters. Make non-optional parameters have a default , or mark them optional. // WRONG @Parameter ( title : "Count" ) var count : Int // CORRECT @Parameter ( title : "Count" , default : 1 ) var count : Int Using Int raw value for AppEnum. AppEnum requires RawRepresentable where RawValue: LosslessStringConvertible . Use String . Forgetting suggestedEntities() . Without it, the Shortcuts picker shows no defaults. Throwing for missing entities in entities(for:) . Omit missing entities instead. Stale Spotlight index. Call updateAppShortcutParameters() when entity data changes. Missing typeDisplayRepresentation . Both AppEntity and AppEnum require it. Using deprecated @AssistantEntity(schema:) / @AssistantEnum(schema:) . Use @AppEntity(schema:) and @AppEnum(schema:) instead. Note: @AssistantIntent(schema:) is still active. Blocking perform(). perform() is async -- use await for I/O. Review Checklist Every AppIntent has a descriptive title (verb + noun, title case) @Parameter types are optional or have defaults for system preview AppEntity types are shadow models, not core data model conformances AppEntity has displayRepresentation and typeDisplayRepresentation EntityQuery.entities(for:) omits missing IDs; suggestedEntities() implemented AppEnum uses String raw value with caseDisplayRepresentations AppShortcutsProvider phrases include (.applicationName) ; parameterSummary defined IndexedEntity properties use @Property(indexingKey:) on iOS 26+ Control Center intents conform to ControlConfigurationIntent ; widget intents to WidgetConfigurationIntent No deprecated @AssistantEntity / @AssistantEnum macros (note: @AssistantIntent(schema:) is still active) perform() uses async/await (no blocking); runs in expected isolation context; intent types are Sendable References See references/appintents-advanced.md for @Parameter variants, EntityPropertyQuery, assistant schemas, focus filters, SiriKit migration, error handling, confirmation flows, authentication, URL-representable types, and Spotlight indexing details.