If you’re getting into development for Apple Intelligence, it can be hard to understand how to parse Apple’s documentation. App Intents, the API that powers the Actions and Personal Context features of Apple Intelligence, has been shipping since 2021, with a deeper history since the introduction of Shortcuts in 2018 – there are over 30 sessions to learn from.
Since I’ve been consulting with developers on their App Intents integrations, I’ve developed a Star Wars Machete Order-style guide for the Apple Intelligence developer sessions – watch the sessions in this order to best understand how Apple thinks about these APIs.
Apple Intelligence Machete Order
How to understand the App Intents framework
Start with the latest sessions from 2024, which reintroduces App Intents as it extends across the system in more ways, as well as updates the Design suggestions from their earlier framework:
- Bring your app’s core features to users with App Intents (2024)
- Design App Intents for System Experiences (2024) – directly replaces suggestions in Design great actions for Shortcuts, Siri, and Suggestions (2021)
Basics of App Intents and the importance of App Shortcuts
From there, once you have the context of how App Intents can be deployed, start back at the beginning to see how to implement App Intents, as well as App Shortcuts – for Siri the first year and then updated for Spotlight in the next.
- Dive into App Intents (2022)
- Design App Shortcuts (2022)
- Implement App Shortcuts with App Intents (2022)
- Spotlight your app with App Shortcuts (2023)
- Design shortcuts for Spotlight (2023)
- Explore enhancements to App Intents (2023)
Apple Intelligence sessions
Finally, once you understand the core of App Intents, what it used to be vs. what Apple wants you to do now, and how to deploy App Intents across Spotlight and Siri, move onto the latest updates for Apple Intelligence – new features that enable Personal Context, as well as integrating your intents into domains for Siri:
- What’s new with App Intents (2024)
- Bring your app to Siri (2024)
Good to know
Beyond that, it can be helpful to review earlier sessions to understand where Apple is coming from, as well learning about the lesser-known experience your app is capable of providing:
- Introducing parameters for Shortcuts (2019)
- Add configuration and intelligence to your widgets (2020)
- Evaluate and Optimize Voice Interactions For Your App (2020)
- Broaden your reach with Siri event suggestions (2020)
- Decipher and deal with common Siri errors (2020)
- Create quick interactions with Shortcuts on watchOS (2020)
- Donate intents and expand your app’s presence (2021)
- Meet Focus Filters (2022)
All the Apple Intelligence developer sessions
For good measure, here’s the full list of the Shortcuts / App Intents / Apple Intelligence developer sessions – I’ll update this list after WWDC’25 with new sessions (and create a new post):
- 2018
- 2019
- 2020
- What’s new with SiriKit and Shortcuts
- Empower your intents
- Evaluate and Optimize Voice Interactions For Your App
- Add configuration and intelligence to your widgets
- Design for Intelligence series
- Decipher and deal with common Siri errors
- Create quick interactions with Shortcuts on watchOS
- Broaden your reach with Siri event suggestions
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- Human Interface Guidelines
- Documentation
Check out more Machine Learning and AI videos from the Apple Developer site, read the full App Intents documentation, and learn more about Apple Intelligence.
P.S. Let me know if you want help with your App Intents integration.
