About
Apple HIG guidance for status and progress UI components including progress indicators, status bars, and activity rings.
name: hig-components-status description: Apple HIG guidance for status and progress UI components including progress indicators, status bars, and activity rings. risk: unknown source: community date_added: '2026-02-27'
Apple HIG: Status Components
Check for .claude/apple-design-context.md before asking questions. Use existing context and only ask for information not already covered.
Key Principles
Progress Indicators
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Show progress for operations longer than a second or two.
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Determinate when duration/percentage is known. A filling progress bar gives users a clear sense of remaining work. Use for downloads, uploads, or any measurable process.
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Indeterminate when duration is unknown. A spinner communicates work is happening without promising a timeframe. Use for unpredictable network requests.
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Prefer progress bars over spinners. Determinate progress feels faster and more trustworthy.
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Place indicators where content will appear. Inline progress near the content area, not modal or distant.
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Don't stack multiple indicators. Aggregate simultaneous operations into one representation or show the most relevant.
Status Bars
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Don't hide the status bar without good reason. Reserve hiding for immersive experiences (full-screen media, games, AR).
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Match status bar style to your content. Light or dark for adequate contrast.
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Respect safe areas. No interactive content behind the status bar.
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Restore promptly when exiting immersive contexts.
Activity Rings
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Activity rings are for Move, Exercise, and Stand goals. Don't repurpose the ring metaphor for unrelated data.
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Respect ring color conventions. Red (Move), green (Exercise), blue (Stand) are strongly associated with Apple Fitness.
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Use HealthKit APIs for activity data rather than manual tracking.
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Celebrate completions with animation and haptics when rings close.
Reference Index
| Reference | Topic | Key content | |---|---|---| | progress-indicators.md | Progress bars and spinners | Determinate, indeterminate, inline placement, duration | | status-bars.md | iOS/iPadOS status bar | System info, visibility, style, safe areas | | activity-rings.md | watchOS activity rings | Move/Exercise/Stand, HealthKit, fitness tracking, color |
Output Format
- Indicator type recommendation with rationale (determinate vs indeterminate).
- Timing and animation guidance -- duration thresholds, animation style, transitions.
- Accessibility -- VoiceOver progress announcements, live region updates.
- Platform-specific behavior across targeted platforms.
Questions to Ask
- Is the duration known or unknown?
- Which platforms?
- How long does the operation typically take?
- System-level or in-app indicator?
Related Skills
- hig-components-system -- Widgets and complications displaying progress or status
- hig-inputs -- Gestures triggering progress states (pull-to-refresh)
- hig-technologies -- HealthKit for activity ring data; VoiceOver for progress announcements
Built by Raintree Technology · More developer tools
When to Use
This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.
Limitations
- Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
- Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
- Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.