SwiftUI Gestures (iOS 26+) Review, write, and fix SwiftUI gesture interactions. Apply modern gesture APIs with correct composition, state management, and conflict resolution using Swift 6.2 patterns. Contents Gesture Overview TapGesture LongPressGesture DragGesture MagnifyGesture (iOS 17+) RotateGesture (iOS 17+) Gesture Composition @GestureState Adding Gestures to Views Custom Gesture Protocol Common Mistakes Review Checklist References Gesture Overview Gesture Type Value Since TapGesture Discrete Void iOS 13 LongPressGesture Discrete Bool iOS 13 DragGesture Continuous DragGesture.Value iOS 13 MagnifyGesture Continuous MagnifyGesture.Value iOS 17 RotateGesture Continuous RotateGesture.Value iOS 17 SpatialTapGesture Discrete SpatialTapGesture.Value iOS 16 Discrete gestures fire once ( .onEnded ). Continuous gestures stream updates ( .onChanged , .onEnded , .updating ). TapGesture Recognizes one or more taps. Use the count parameter for multi-tap. // Single, double, and triple tap TapGesture ( ) . onEnded { tapped . toggle ( ) } TapGesture ( count : 2 ) . onEnded { handleDoubleTap ( ) } TapGesture ( count : 3 ) . onEnded { handleTripleTap ( ) } // Shorthand modifier Text ( "Tap me" ) . onTapGesture ( count : 2 ) { handleDoubleTap ( ) } LongPressGesture Succeeds after the user holds for minimumDuration . Fails if finger moves beyond maximumDistance . // Basic long press (0.5s default) LongPressGesture ( ) . onEnded { _ in showMenu = true } // Custom duration and distance tolerance LongPressGesture ( minimumDuration : 1.0 , maximumDistance : 10 ) . onEnded { _ in triggerHaptic ( ) } With visual feedback via @GestureState + .updating() : @GestureState private var isPressing = false Circle ( ) . fill ( isPressing ? . red : . blue ) . scaleEffect ( isPressing ? 1.2 : 1.0 ) . gesture ( LongPressGesture ( minimumDuration : 0.8 ) . updating ( $isPressing ) { current , state , _ in state = current } . onEnded { _ in completedLongPress = true } ) Shorthand: .onLongPressGesture(minimumDuration:perform:onPressingChanged:) . DragGesture Tracks finger movement. Value provides startLocation , location , translation , velocity , and predictedEndTranslation . @State private var offset = CGSize . zero RoundedRectangle ( cornerRadius : 16 ) . fill ( . blue ) . frame ( width : 100 , height : 100 ) . offset ( offset ) . gesture ( DragGesture ( ) . onChanged { value in offset = value . translation } . onEnded { _ in withAnimation ( . spring ) { offset = . zero } } ) Configure minimum distance and coordinate space: DragGesture ( minimumDistance : 20 , coordinateSpace : . global ) MagnifyGesture (iOS 17+) Replaces the deprecated MagnificationGesture . Tracks pinch-to-zoom scale. @GestureState private var magnifyBy = 1.0 Image ( "photo" ) . resizable ( ) . scaledToFit ( ) . scaleEffect ( magnifyBy ) . gesture ( MagnifyGesture ( ) . updating ( $magnifyBy ) { value , state , _ in state = value . magnification } ) With persisted scale: @State private var currentScale = 1.0 @GestureState private var gestureScale = 1.0 Image ( "photo" ) . scaleEffect ( currentScale * gestureScale ) . gesture ( MagnifyGesture ( minimumScaleDelta : 0.01 ) . updating ( $gestureScale ) { value , state , _ in state = value . magnification } . onEnded { value in currentScale = min ( max ( currentScale * value . magnification , 0.5 ) , 5.0 ) } ) RotateGesture (iOS 17+) Replaces the deprecated RotationGesture . Tracks two-finger rotation angle. @State private var angle = Angle . zero Rectangle ( ) . fill ( . blue ) . frame ( width : 200 , height : 200 ) . rotationEffect ( angle ) . gesture ( RotateGesture ( minimumAngleDelta : . degrees ( 1 ) ) . onChanged { value in angle = value . rotation } ) With persisted rotation: @State private var currentAngle = Angle . zero @GestureState private var gestureAngle = Angle . zero Rectangle ( ) . rotationEffect ( currentAngle + gestureAngle ) . gesture ( RotateGesture ( ) . updating ( $gestureAngle ) { value , state , _ in state = value . rotation } . onEnded { value in currentAngle += value . rotation } ) Gesture Composition .simultaneously(with:) — both gestures recognized at the same time let magnify = MagnifyGesture ( ) . onChanged { value in scale = value . magnification } let rotate = RotateGesture ( ) . onChanged { value in angle = value . rotation } Image ( "photo" ) . scaleEffect ( scale ) . rotationEffect ( angle ) . gesture ( magnify . simultaneously ( with : rotate ) ) The value is SimultaneousGesture.Value with .first and .second optionals. .sequenced(before:) — first must succeed before second begins let longPressBeforeDrag = LongPressGesture ( minimumDuration : 0.5 ) . sequenced ( before : DragGesture ( ) ) . onEnded { value in guard case . second ( true , let drag ? ) = value else { return } finalOffset . width += drag . translation . width finalOffset . height += drag . translation . height } .exclusively(before:) — only one succeeds (first has priority) let doubleTapOrLongPress = TapGesture ( count : 2 ) . map { ExclusiveResult . doubleTap } . exclusively ( before : LongPressGesture ( ) . map { _ in ExclusiveResult . longPress } ) . onEnded { result in switch result { case . first ( let val ) : handleDoubleTap ( ) case . second ( let val ) : handleLongPress ( ) } } @GestureState @GestureState is a property wrapper that automatically resets to its initial value when the gesture ends. Use for transient feedback; use @State for values that persist. @GestureState private var dragOffset = CGSize . zero // resets to .zero @State private var position = CGSize . zero // persists Circle ( ) . offset ( x : position . width + dragOffset . width , y : position . height + dragOffset . height ) . gesture ( DragGesture ( ) . updating ( $dragOffset ) { value , state , _ in state = value . translation } . onEnded { value in position . width += value . translation . width position . height += value . translation . height } ) Custom reset with animation: @GestureState(resetTransaction: Transaction(animation: .spring)) Adding Gestures to Views Three modifiers control gesture priority in the view hierarchy: Modifier Behavior .gesture() Default priority. Child gestures win over parent. .highPriorityGesture() Parent gesture takes precedence over child. .simultaneousGesture() Both parent and child gestures fire. // Problem: parent tap swallows child tap VStack { Button ( "Child" ) { handleChild ( ) } // never fires } . gesture ( TapGesture ( ) . onEnded { handleParent ( ) } ) // Fix 1: Use simultaneousGesture on parent VStack { Button ( "Child" ) { handleChild ( ) } } . simultaneousGesture ( TapGesture ( ) . onEnded { handleParent ( ) } ) // Fix 2: Give parent explicit priority VStack { Text ( "Child" ) . gesture ( TapGesture ( ) . onEnded { handleChild ( ) } ) } . highPriorityGesture ( TapGesture ( ) . onEnded { handleParent ( ) } ) GestureMask Control which gestures participate when using .gesture(_:including:) : . gesture ( drag , including : . gesture ) // only this gesture, not subviews . gesture ( drag , including : . subviews ) // only subview gestures . gesture ( drag , including : . all ) // default: this + subviews Custom Gesture Protocol Create reusable gestures by conforming to Gesture : struct SwipeGesture : Gesture { enum Direction { case left , right , up , down } let minimumDistance : CGFloat let onSwipe : ( Direction ) -> Void init ( minimumDistance : CGFloat = 50 , onSwipe : @escaping ( Direction ) -> Void ) { self . minimumDistance = minimumDistance self . onSwipe = onSwipe } var body : some Gesture { DragGesture ( minimumDistance : minimumDistance ) . onEnded { value in let h = value . translation . width , v = value . translation . height if abs ( h )
abs ( v ) { onSwipe ( h
0 ? . right : . left ) } else { onSwipe ( v
0 ? . down : . up ) } } } } // Usage Rectangle ( ) . gesture ( SwipeGesture { print ( "Swiped ( $0 ) " ) } ) Wrap in a View extension for ergonomic API: extension View { func onSwipe ( perform action : @escaping ( SwipeGesture . Direction ) -> Void ) -> some View { gesture ( SwipeGesture ( onSwipe : action ) ) } } Common Mistakes 1. Conflicting parent/child gestures // DON'T: Parent .gesture() conflicts with child tap VStack { Button ( "Action" ) { doSomething ( ) } } . gesture ( TapGesture ( ) . onEnded { parentAction ( ) } ) // DO: Use .simultaneousGesture() or .highPriorityGesture() VStack { Button ( "Action" ) { doSomething ( ) } } . simultaneousGesture ( TapGesture ( ) . onEnded { parentAction ( ) } ) 2. Using @State instead of @GestureState for transient state // DON'T: @State doesn't auto-reset — view stays offset after gesture ends @State private var dragOffset = CGSize . zero DragGesture ( ) . onChanged { value in dragOffset = value . translation } . onEnded { _ in dragOffset = . zero } // manual reset required // DO: @GestureState auto-resets when gesture ends @GestureState private var dragOffset = CGSize . zero DragGesture ( ) . updating ( $dragOffset ) { value , state , _ in state = value . translation } 3. Not using .updating() for intermediate feedback // DON'T: No visual feedback during long press LongPressGesture ( minimumDuration : 2.0 ) . onEnded { _ in showResult = true } // DO: Provide feedback while pressing @GestureState private var isPressing = false LongPressGesture ( minimumDuration : 2.0 ) . updating ( $isPressing ) { current , state , _ in state = current } . onEnded { _ in showResult = true } 4. Using deprecated gesture types on iOS 17+ // DON'T: Deprecated since iOS 17 MagnificationGesture ( ) // deprecated RotationGesture ( ) // deprecated // DO: Use modern replacements MagnifyGesture ( ) // iOS 17+ RotateGesture ( ) // iOS 17+ 5. Heavy computation in onChanged // DON'T: Expensive work called every frame (~60-120 Hz) DragGesture ( ) . onChanged { value in let result = performExpensiveHitTest ( at : value . location ) let filtered = applyComplexFilter ( result ) updateModel ( filtered ) } // DO: Throttle or defer expensive work DragGesture ( ) . onChanged { value in dragPosition = value . location // lightweight state update only } . onEnded { value in performExpensiveHitTest ( at : value . location ) // once at end } Review Checklist Correct gesture type: MagnifyGesture / RotateGesture (not deprecated Magnification / Rotation variants) @GestureState used for transient values that should reset; @State for persisted values .updating() provides intermediate visual feedback during continuous gestures Parent/child conflicts resolved with .highPriorityGesture() or .simultaneousGesture() onChanged closures are lightweight — no heavy computation every frame Composed gestures use correct combinator: simultaneously , sequenced , or exclusively Persisted scale/rotation clamped to reasonable bounds in onEnded Custom Gesture conformances use var body: some Gesture (not View ) Gesture-driven animations use .spring or similar for natural deceleration GestureMask considered when mixing gestures across view hierarchy levels References See references/gesture-patterns.md for drag-to-reorder, pinch-to-zoom, combined rotate+scale, velocity calculations, and SwiftUI/UIKit gesture interop. Gesture protocol TapGesture LongPressGesture DragGesture MagnifyGesture RotateGesture GestureState Composing SwiftUI gestures Adding interactivity with gestures