Design point of view

  • Focus on basic features. Interactions with App Clip should be fast and focused, limiting functionality to what is needed to accomplish the task at hand and reserving advanced or complex functionality for the application.

  • Do not use App Clip only for marketing purposes. App Clips should provide real value and help people accomplish tasks. Do not use them as a means to advertise services or products.

  • Design a linear, easy to use, and centralized user interface. App Clip should not contain TAB bars, complex navigation or Settings. Minimize the number of screens and input forms. Remove as much information as possible and reduce the complexity of the user interface.

  • At startup, the most relevant parts of the App Clip are displayed. Skip unnecessary steps and get people immediately to the most appropriate interface.

  • Make sure people can use your App Clip immediately. Omit the splash screen and never leave people waiting to boot up.

  • Make sure your App Clip is small. The smaller your App Clip is, the faster it will launch on your personal device. Keeping App Clip small is especially important when bandwidth is limited. Minimize unnecessary code and remove unused resources. Avoid downloading other data, which eliminates immediacy.

  • Make App Clip shareable. When a user shares a link to the App Clip in the iMessage application, the recipient can open the App Clip from the iMessage application.

  • Easily pay for services or products. Entering payment information can be a lengthy and error-prone task. Consider supporting Apple Pay to provide quick checkout and allow people to enter shipping information without having to type it in.

  • Avoid asking people to create accounts until they can benefit from your App Clip. Creating an account is a complex task that requires time and effort. Consider not requiring an account, or consider requiring people to create accounts after completing tasks. If your App Clip requires an account to provide data, please Sign in with Apple.

  • Provide a familiar, focused experience in your application. When people install the full App, it replaces the App Clip on the device. From this point on, the call that should have launched App Clip will launch the entire application. Make sure your App provides a focused, familiar experience for people who used the App Clip before, for example, when people go from the App Clip to the full App, they don’t need to log in again.

To protect privacy

The system imposes restrictions on App Clip to ensure people’s privacy. For example, App Clip cannot perform background operations.

  • Limit the amount of data you store and process. If you need to store user data (for example, login information), do it securely. Also, do not rely on data previously stored on the device, it is not a safe operation. The system may delete the App Clip when the device is booted up and delete all its data. If you store login information, store it securely outside of the device.

  • Consider logging in with Apple. Using Apple logins securely preserves login information on users’ devices and protects their privacy.

  • Provide a secure payment method that respects user privacy. For example, consider using Apple Pay.

Show your application

Users cannot manage App Clips, and App clips are not displayed on the home screen. Instead, the App Clip is deleted after a period of time.

Since applications are still the best way for users to use them for the long term, the system helps users discover and install complete applications:

  • Users can launch the App Clip on the App Clip Card or access complete apps on the App Store.

  • When the user starts App Clip for the first time, the system displays the App logo at the top of the screen. Like the App Clip Card, this tag gives users access to App pages on the App Store.

In addition, you can display a overlay layer in the App Clip, allowing the user to download complete applications from within the App Clip.

Please note the following points to consider when recommending your app to others:

  • Ask people to install the full application and please don’t ruin the user experience.
  • Choose the right time to recommend your app.
  • Recommend your application in a non-invasive, polite way.

Limit the Notifications

App Clip provides the option to schedule and receive notifications within up to 8 hours of launch, with enough time to follow up and complete most common tasks. Please note the following points when using:

  • Only request permission to use notifications for extended periods of time when you really need it.

  • Make sure the content of the notification is relevant to the user.

  • Use notifications to help users complete tasks.

Create illustrations and text for the application clip card

The App Clip Card provided by the system is the first time people interact with your App Clip, so please carefully consider its illustrations and text. The following points are for attention:

  • Images should clearly convey the functionality of the application, supported functionality or content.

  • Use images that help people understand the value of the app, or photos of relevant businesses or points of interest.

  • Avoid inserting text on illustrations.

  • Comply with image requirements. Use opaque 3000px×2000px PNG or JPEG images.

  • Use concise headings and subheadings

  • Select an appropriate verb for the action button of your app Clip.

Ok, that’s all for today’s explanation. Interested friends can pay attention to my technical public account. There are high-quality technical articles pushed every week.