TipKit for Swift: Complete Guide to Creating User Tips

TipKit is a powerful, modern library from Apple, introduced at WWDC 2023, designed for creating contextual tips and user onboarding in SwiftUI and UIKit apps. It lets developers easily implement interactive tips that help users quickly learn the interface, discover new features, and boost overall app engagement.

TipKit's main goal is to replace outdated, clunky onboarding solutions (like custom views or third-party libraries) with a standardized, flexible, and high-performance tool. TipKit automatically manages tip display: shows them at the right moment, hides them after interaction, tracks display frequency, and lets you customize when tips appear based on user actions or app state.

The library is perfect for iOS 17+, macOS 14+, tvOS 17+, and watchOS 10+. It integrates tightly with Apple frameworks, supports animations, adapts to different screen sizes, and works with both SwiftUI and UIKit (via UIViewRepresentable). In this article, we'll dive deep into everything TipKit offers, from setup to advanced use cases.

Installation

TipKit is part of the Apple ecosystem and doesn't require installation through third-party package managers. To use the library, simply add it to your Xcode project via the standard Swift Package Manager (SPM) or manually.

Via Xcode (Recommended)

1. Open your project in Xcode.
2. Go to File → Add Package Dependencies....
3. In the search bar, enter: https://github.com/apple/sample-tipkit.git (Apple's official sample repository) or use the built-in package if available in your Xcode version.
4. Make sure the main branch or latest stable version is selected.
5. Click Add Package and select your target.

Important: Starting with Xcode 15, TipKit is built into the SDK, so in most cases you just need to import the module in your code. If you're using an older Xcode version, add the package manually.

Via Package.swift (for SPM Projects)

// swift-tools-version: 5.9
import PackageDescription

let package = Package(
    name: "YourProject",
    dependencies: [
        .package(url: "https://github.com/apple/sample-tipkit.git", from: "1.0.0")
    ],
    targets: [
        .target(
            name: "YourTarget",
            dependencies: ["TipKit"]
        )
    ]
)

After adding the package, import the library in your file:

import TipKit

Quick Start: Minimal Working Example

Let's create a simple tip that appears on the first app launch and explains how to use a button.

import SwiftUI
import TipKit

// 1. Define the tip structure
struct WelcomeTip: Tip {
    var title: Text {
        Text("Welcome!")
    }
    
    var message: Text? {
        Text("Tap this button to get started with the app.")
    }
    
    var image: Image? {
        Image(systemName: "hand.wave")
    }
}

// 2. Use the tip in a view
struct ContentView: View {
    // 3. Create a tip instance
    private let welcomeTip = WelcomeTip()
    
    var body: some View {
        VStack {
            Button("Get Started") {
                // Button action
                print("Button tapped!")
            }
            .popoverTip(welcomeTip) // 4. Attach the tip to the button
            .padding()
        }
        .padding()
        .task {
            // 5. Configure TipKit on launch
            try? await Tips.configure()
        }
    }
}