The flexibility of the system fonts helps you achieve optimal legibility at every point size and gives you the breadth and depth you need for precision typesetting throughout your app.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Apple provides two type families you can use in your iOS apps.

- San Francisco (SF). San Francisco is a sans serif type family. Designed to match the visual clarity of the platform UIs, the system fonts are legible and neutral.
- New York (NY). New York is a serif typeface that provides a unique tone designed to complement the SF fonts. NY works as well in a graphic display context (at large sizes) as it does in a reading context (at text sizes).

Using both typefaces can help you create stronger visual hierarchies or highlight semantic differences in content.

iOS: Typography

Apple Human Interface Guidelines

iOS: SF Pro and SF Compact

The rounded variant of the system fonts can help you coordinate your text style with the appearance of soft or rounded UI elements, or to provide an alternative typographic voice

iOS: SF Pro Rounded and SF Compact Rounded

SF Mono is a monospaced variant of San Francisco — that is, a typeface in which all characters are equal in width. You typically use a monospaced typeface when you want to align columns of text, such as in a coding environment

iOS: SF Mono

New York is a classical serif typeface you can use in the interface or to provide a traditional reading experience

iOS: New York

- Use built-in text styles whenever possible.
- Emphasize important information. 
- Prioritize content when responding to text-size changes.
- Minimize the number of typefaces you use in your interface.
- Modify leading to improve readability or conserve space.
- Make sure custom fonts are legible. 
- Implement accessibility features for custom fonts.
- Adjust tracking as needed in interface mockups.
- In interface mockups, use text size to determine when to use SF Pro Text and Display, SF Compact Text and Display, or NY Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large.

iOS: Choosing Fonts to Enhance Your App

Dynamic Type provides additional flexibility by letting readers choose their preferred text size.

iOS: Dynamic Type Sizes

In addition to the standard dynamic type sizes, the system offers a number of even larger sizes for users with accessibility needs.

Learn Before

Related