Alerts in iOS deliver essential and actionable information to users. They typically appear to request confirmation for a critical action, or to notify the user of an issue that must be addressed before proceeding.

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Modality is a design technique that presents content in a temporary mode separate from the user's current context and requires an explicit action to exit.

Modality helps users focus on a self-contained task or set of closely related options, and ensures they receive and act on critical information.

In iOS, modal content is provided through Alerts, Activity Views (or Share sheets), and Action Sheets. iOS supports specific presentation styles for custom modal content, such as sheets and full-screen views.

iOS App Modality

The fullscreen presentation style covers the entire screen. The previous view is completely covered, minimizing visual distraction. People dismiss a full-screen modal view by tapping a button.

Use a full-screen modal view for immersive content — such as videos, photos, or camera views — or a complex task that benefits from a full-screen presentation, such as marking up a document or editing a photo.

Use modality when it makes sense. Create a modal experience only when it’s critical to focus people’s attention on making a choice or performing a task that’s different from their current task. A modal experience takes people out of their current context and requires an action to dismiss, so it’s essential to use it only when it provides a clear benefit.

Reserve alerts for delivering essential — and ideally actionable — information. Typically, an alert appears because something has gone wrong. Because an alert interrupts the experience and requires a tap to dismiss, it’s important for people to feel that the intrusion is warranted. For guidance, see Alerts.

Keep modal tasks simple, short, and narrowly focused. Avoid creating an app within your app. If a modal task is too complex, people can lose sight of the task they suspended when they entered the modal context. Be especially wary of creating modal tasks that involve a hierarchy of views because people can get lost and forget how to retrace their steps. If a modal task must contain subviews, provide a single path through the hierarchy and a clear path to completion. Avoid using a Done button for anything other than completing the task.

Always include a button that dismisses the modal view. For example, you might use Done or Cancel. Including a button ensures that the modal view is accessible to assistive technologies and provides an alternative to dismissal gestures.

When necessary, help people avoid data loss by getting confirmation before closing a modal view. Regardless of whether people use a dismiss gesture or a button to close the view, if the action could result in the loss of user-generated content, present an action sheet that explains the situation and gives people ways to resolve it.

Don’t display a card that appears on top of a popover. Although you can display a card within a popover, nothing should appear on top of a popover (except possibly an alert). In rare cases when you need to present a card after people take an action in a popover, close the popover before displaying the card.

In general, display a title that identifies the modal task. When people enter a modal task, they switch away from their previous context, so it’s a good idea to make the new context clear. You might also provide text in other parts of the view that more fully describes the task or provides guidance.

Coordinate the modal view appearance with your app. For example, when a modal view includes a navigation bar, it should use the same appearance as the navigation bar in your app.

Choose a modal transition style that makes sense in your app. Use a transition style that coordinates with your app and enhances the awareness of the temporary context shift. The default transition vertically slides the modal view up from the bottom of the screen and back down when it’s dismissed. Use consistent modal transition styles throughout your app.

Fullscreen

iOS Alerts

In iOS, the sheet presentation style appears as a card that partially covers the underlying content and dims all uncovered areas to prevent interaction with them. The top edge of the parent view or a previous card is visible behind the current card to help people remember the task they suspended when they opened the card.

People dismiss a sheet by:
- Swiping down from the top of the screen
- Swiping down from anywhere on the screen when card content is scrolled to the top
- Tapping a button

Use a sheet for nonimmersive modal content that doesn’t enable a complex task.

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