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:

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<UnitLength>, Measurement<UnitTemperature>, and others. Custom: any AppEntity or AppEnum.

Common initializer patterns

// Basic
@Parameter(title: "Name")
var name: String

// With default
@Parameter(title: "Count", default: 5)
var count: Int

// Numeric slider
@Parameter(title: "Volume", controlStyle: .slider, inclusiveRange: (0, 100))
var volume: Int

// Options provider (dynamic list)
@Parameter(title: "Category", optionsProvider: CategoryOptionsProvider())
var category: Category

// File with content types
@Parameter(title: "Document", supportedContentTypes: [.pdf, .plainText])
var document: IntentFile

// Measurement with unit
@Parameter(title: "Distance", defaultUnit: .miles, supportsNegativeNumbers: false)
var distance: Measurement<UnitLength>

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

1. Conforming core data models to AppEntity. Create dedicated shadow models

instead. Core models carry persistence logic that conflicts with intent lifecycle.

1. Missing `\(.applicationName)` in phrases. Every AppShortcut phrase

MUST include the application name token. Siri uses it for disambiguation.

1. 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

1. Using Int raw value for AppEnum. AppEnum requires RawRepresentable

where RawValue: LosslessStringConvertible. Use String.

1. Forgetting `suggestedEntities()`. Without it, the Shortcuts picker shows no defaults.
2. Throwing for missing entities in `entities(for:)`. Omit missing entities instead.
3. Stale Spotlight index. Call updateAppShortcutParameters() when entity data changes.
4. Missing `typeDisplayRepresentation`. Both AppEntity and AppEnum require it.
5. Using deprecated `@AssistantEntity(schema:)` / `@AssistantEnum(schema:)`. Use @AppEntity(schema:) and @AppEnum(schema:) instead. Note: @AssistantIntent(schema:) is still active.
6. 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.