Working with Accessories
Learn about the requirements for building accessories that work well with Apple devices. Discover technologies you can use in your apps to interact with accessories built for Apple devices.
Designing Accessories
Well-designed cases, covers, screen overlays, watch bands, camera attachments, and Bluetooth accessories, complement Apple devices without interfering with their operation. As you create accessories for Apple products, follow the design guidelines and test your prototypes to make sure they meet the necessary requirements.
Accessory Design Guidelines
for Apple Devices
Accessory Technologies
Apple platforms provides several services used to interact with Apple devices and a wide range of accessories. Learn how to build apps and accessories that deliver the best experience using the latest Apple technologies and industry standards.
What’s new
HomeKit and Matter
Allow users to communicate with and control connected accessories in their home using your app. With the HomeKit or Matter framework, you can provide ways to configure accessories and create actions to control them. Users can even group actions together and trigger them using Siri.
Learn more
HealthKit
Integrate HealthKit into your health and fitness apps for iOS and watchOS to create a more seamless user experience. When a customer provides permission for your app to read and write health and activity data to their Health app, your app can deliver deeply informed health and fitness solutions.
Learn more
AirPlay
AirPlay allows users to wirelessly stream content from their Apple device. Using Media Player APIs that support AirPlay, you can enrich your apps by allowing users to extend content from their Apple device to Apple TV, HomePod, or AirPlay-compatible speakers.
Learn more
AirPrint
It’s easy to deliver photo and document printing in your apps without the need to download or install drivers. AirPrint is built into most popular printer models and offers a complete set of features, including full-quality output, automatic media selection, and enterprise-class finishing options.
Learn more
Find My network
Let users locate your products with the Find My network. With hundreds of millions of Apple devices around the world, advanced end-to-end encryption, and industry leading security, the Find My network lets users easily locate their belongings in the Find My app with the peace of mind that their privacy is protected.
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Nearby Interactions with UWB
Build apps that interact with accessories simply by being in close proximity to an Apple device that includes Ultra Wideband (UWB) chipset. Taking advantage of UWB technology lets you create more precise, directionally aware app experiences.
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iBeacon
From welcoming people as they arrive at a sporting event to providing information about a nearby museum exhibit, iBeacon opens a new world of possibilities for location awareness, and countless opportunities for interactivity between devices and iBeacon hardware.
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Bluetooth
Create an engaging and connected user experience by integrating Bluetooth® wireless technology in your apps and hardware accessories. And with Core Bluetooth framework, it’s easy for your apps to interact with the growing number of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices.
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Game Controllers
The Game Controller framework supports a wide variety of popular controllers, such as the Xbox Series X|S Wireless Controller or the Sony PS5 DualSense Wireless Controller. Adding controller support to your game is an easy way to provide a unified experience across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
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CarPlay
CarPlay is the smarter, safer way for people to use iPhone in the car. CarPlay apps can provide audio, communication, and route guidance features, and help the user locate nearby services. Vehicles can integrate support for CarPlay on their primary display and show route information in their instrument cluster.
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Get Started
Find resources and programs needed to develop and distribute apps and manufacture accessories that interact with Apple devices.
Which best describes you?
Which best describes the product you’re creating or work with?
Which Apple technology do you plan to integrate into your app?
Which type of case are you producing?
See if the MFi Program is right for you.
This program provides access to the technical specifications, hardware components, certification tools, and badge artwork needed to develop and manufacture electronic accessories that connect to Apple products using licensed technologies.
Learn about the MFi ProgramView specs for designing accessories.
If you’re designing accessories, download the Accessory Design Guidelines for specifications on using Bluetooth technologies, creating watch bands, designing cases, and more.
See if the MFi Program is right for you.
This program provides access to the technical specifications, hardware components, certification tools, and badge artwork needed to develop and manufacture electronic accessories that connect to Apple products using licensed technologies.
Learn about the MFi ProgramView specs for designing accessories.
If you’re designing accessories, download the Accessory Design Guidelines for specifications on using Bluetooth technologies, creating watch bands, designing cases, and more.
See if the MFi Program is right for you.
This program provides access to the technical specifications, hardware components, certification tools, and badge artwork needed to develop and manufacture electronic accessories that connect to Apple products using licensed technologies.
Learn about the MFi ProgramView specs for designing accessories.
If you’re designing accessories, download the Accessory Design Guidelines for specifications on using Bluetooth technologies, creating watch bands, designing cases, and more.
Download the Apple Accessory Design Guidelines
View the HomeKit Accessory Protocol Specification (Noncommercial Version)
Designing accessories
View the Accessory Design Guidelines to get specifications on using Bluetooth technologies, creating watch bands, designing cases, and more.
Download the Apple Accessory Design Guidelines
View the HomeKit Accessory Protocol Specification (Noncommercial Version)
Developing apps
Apple provides everything that faculty and students need to dive into designing and coding. With Mac — as well as Swift, Xcode, and other free developer tools — you’ll have everything you need to build incredible apps. The Develop in Swift curriculum provides faculty with the flexibility to support a variety of learners.
Take advantage of free resources.
Explore Apple technologies to find technical documentation, code samples, and other resources to learn how to utilize and implement unique features that can be leveraged in an application or accessory.
If you’re designing accessories, download the Accessory Design Guidelines for specifications on developing watch bands, cases, and other Apple accessories.
Take advantage of documentation.
To design and manufacture Apple Watch bands, view the Accessory Design Guidelines for Apple Devices. Follow the guidelines and test your prototypes to make sure they meet requirements.
Take advantage of documentation.
Read Bluetooth documentation and download the Accessory Design Guidelines for specifications on using Bluetooth technologies. Follow the guidelines and test your prototypes to make sure they meet requirements.
Download the Apple Accessory Design Guidelines
See if the MFi Program is right for you.
Membership in the MFi Program is required for creating certain types of Bluetooth accessories — for example, accessories leveraging the iPod Accessory Protocol over Bluetooth Classic or accessories using HomeKit over Bluetooth Low Energy.
Learn about the MFi ProgramTake advantage of documentation.
Read the Bluetooth documentation and download the Accessory Design Guidelines to get specifications on using Bluetooth technologies. Follow the guidelines and test your prototypes to make sure they meet requirements.
Designing accessories
Download the Accessory Design Guidelines for specifications on using Bluetooth technologies, creating watch bands, designing cases, and more.
Download the Apple Accessory Design Guidelines
View the HomeKit Accessory Protocol Specification (Noncommercial Version)
Developing apps
Discover valuable resources you can use to improve your coding skills, as well as ways to connect with Apple experts for technical and design guidance.
Take advantage of documentation.
With Media Player APIs that support AirPlay 2, you can wirelessly send your content from any Apple device to a speaker enabled with AirPlay or Apple TV.
Take advantage of documentation.
AirPrint is built into most popular printer models and offers a complete set of features, including full-quality output, automatic media selection, and enterprise-class finishing options. Learn how to easily to deliver photo and document printing in your apps without the need to download or install drivers.
Take advantage of documentation.
Apps that use the CarPlay framework can provide audio, communication, and route guidance features, and help people locate nearby services. Vehicles can integrate support for CarPlay on their primary display and show route information in their instrument cluster.
Take advantage of documentation.
The Game Controller framework supports a wide variety of popular controllers, such as the Xbox Series X|S Wireless Controller or the Sony PS5 DualSense Wireless Controller. Adding controller support to your game is an easy way to provide a unified experience across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
Take advantage of documentation.
The HomeKit framework is used to build apps that coordinate and control home automation accessories from multiple vendors to present a seamless, user-focused interface.
Take advantage of documentation.
The HealthKit framework provides a central repository for health and fitness data on iPhone and Apple Watch. With the user’s permission, apps communicate with the HealthKit store to access and share this data.
Take advantage of documentation.
iBeacon technologies enable location awareness possibilities for apps. Leveraging Bluetooth Low Energy, a device with iBeacon technology can be used to establish a region around an object. This allows a device to determine when it has entered or left the region, along with an estimation of proximity to a beacon.
Take advantage of documentation.
The External Accessory framework enables apps to communicate with an MFi accessory that connects to an Apple device through an Apple Lightning connector or Bluetooth Classic. Make sure to first consult with the accessory developer or manufacturer to determine if they plan to authorize specific third-party apps to communicate with their MFi accessories.
Take advantage of documentation.
The Nearby Interaction framework is used to build apps that interact with accessories that are within close proximity to an Apple device that includes the U1 chip.