Swiftui Gestures

by dpearson26998d90fd121a26No license1.1K starsListed Oct 8, 2026Updated Oct 8, 2026Repository updated 2 months ago

Implement, review, or improve SwiftUI gesture handling. Use when adding tap, long press, drag, magnify, or rotate gestures, composing gestures with simultaneously/sequenced/exclusively, managing transient state with @GestureState, resolving parent/child gesture conflicts with highPriorityGesture or simultaneousGesture, building custom Gesture protocol conformances, or migrating from deprecated MagnificationGesture to MagnifyGesture or using the newer RotateGesture.

Instructions onlySoftware Development
AI-generated overview

Guides implementing, reviewing, and fixing SwiftUI gesture handling, composition, state, and conflict resolution.

What it does
This skill provides reference guidance for writing and reviewing SwiftUI gesture code, covering tap, long press, drag, magnify, and rotate gestures. It explains gesture composition with simultaneously, sequenced, and exclusively, transient state with @GestureState, and parent/child conflict resolution using highPriorityGesture or simultaneousGesture. It also covers custom Gesture protocol conformances, deprecated API migration, common mistakes, and a review checklist.
When to use it
Use it when adding or debugging SwiftUI gestures such as tap, long press, drag, pinch, or rotation. It also fits reviewing gesture composition, gesture state, or parent/child gesture conflicts, and migrating from deprecated MagnificationGesture or RotationGesture APIs.
Requirements
No scripts; instructions only. It references an optional gesture-patterns reference file and cites Apple documentation URLs for API availability claims.

SwiftUI Gestures (iOS 26+)

Review, write, and fix SwiftUI gesture interactions. Apply modern gesture APIs with correct composition, state management, and conflict resolution using Swift 6.3 patterns.

Scope boundary: This skill owns SwiftUI gesture recognition, composition, gesture state, and gesture-specific accessibility alternatives. Broader SwiftUI architecture/state ownership belongs in swiftui-patterns; list, scroll, form, and control layout belongs in swiftui-layout-components; broad UIKit bridging belongs in swiftui-uikit-interop.

When correcting Apple API availability, deprecation, or behavior claims, cite the relevant Sosumi or official Apple documentation URL in the response.

Contents

Gesture Overview

GestureTypeValueSince
TapGestureDiscreteVoidiOS 13
LongPressGestureDiscreteBooliOS 13
DragGestureContinuousDragGesture.ValueiOS 13
MagnifyGestureContinuousMagnifyGesture.ValueiOS 17
RotateGestureContinuousRotateGesture.ValueiOS 17
SpatialTapGestureDiscreteSpatialTapGesture.ValueiOS 16

Discrete gestures fire once (.onEnded). Continuous gestures stream updates (.onChanged, .onEnded, .updating).

TapGesture

Recognizes one or more taps. Use the count parameter for multi-tap.

swift
// Single, double, and triple tapTapGesture()            .onEnded { tapped.toggle() }TapGesture(count: 2)    .onEnded { handleDoubleTap() }TapGesture(count: 3)    .onEnded { handleTripleTap() }
// Shorthand modifierText("Tap me").onTapGesture(count: 2) { handleDoubleTap() }

LongPressGesture

Succeeds after the user holds for minimumDuration. Fails if finger moves beyond maximumDistance.

swift
// Basic long press (0.5s default)LongPressGesture()    .onEnded { _ in showMenu = true }
// Custom duration and distance toleranceLongPressGesture(minimumDuration: 1.0, maximumDistance: 10)    .onEnded { _ in triggerHaptic() }

With visual feedback via @GestureState + .updating():

swift
@GestureState private var isPressing = false
Circle()    .fill(isPressing ? .red : .blue)    .scaleEffect(isPressing ? 1.2 : 1.0)    .gesture(        LongPressGesture(minimumDuration: 0.8)            .updating($isPressing) { current, state, _ in state = current }            .onEnded { _ in completedLongPress = true }    )

Shorthand: .onLongPressGesture(minimumDuration:perform:onPressingChanged:).

DragGesture

Tracks finger movement. Value provides startLocation, location, translation, velocity, and predictedEndTranslation. DragGesture.Value.velocity is available with DragGesture from iOS 13+; do not confuse it with iOS 17+ gesture types such as MagnifyGesture and RotateGesture.

swift
@State private var offset = CGSize.zero
RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 16)    .fill(.blue)    .frame(width: 100, height: 100)    .offset(offset)    .gesture(        DragGesture()            .onChanged { value in offset = value.translation }            .onEnded { _ in withAnimation(.spring) { offset = .zero } }    )

Configure minimum distance and coordinate space:

swift
DragGesture(minimumDistance: 20, coordinateSpace: .global)

MagnifyGesture (iOS 17+)

Replaces the deprecated MagnificationGesture. Tracks pinch-to-zoom scale.

swift
@GestureState private var magnifyBy = 1.0
Image("photo")    .resizable().scaledToFit()    .scaleEffect(magnifyBy)    .gesture(        MagnifyGesture()            .updating($magnifyBy) { value, state, _ in                state = value.magnification            }    )

RotateGesture (iOS 17+)

RotateGesture is the newer alternative to RotationGesture. Tracks two-finger rotation angle.

swift
@State private var angle = Angle.zero
Rectangle()    .fill(.blue).frame(width: 200, height: 200)    .rotationEffect(angle)    .gesture(        RotateGesture(minimumAngleDelta: .degrees(1))            .onChanged { value in angle = value.rotation }    )

For persisted, clamped magnification and combined rotation examples, load references/gesture-patterns.md [blocked].

Gesture Composition

.simultaneously(with:) — both gestures recognized at the same time

swift
let magnify = MagnifyGesture()    .onChanged { value in scale = value.magnification }
let rotate = RotateGesture()    .onChanged { value in angle = value.rotation }
Image("photo")    .scaleEffect(scale)    .rotationEffect(angle)    .gesture(magnify.simultaneously(with: rotate))

The value is SimultaneousGesture.Value with .first and .second optionals.

.sequenced(before:) — first must succeed before second begins

swift
let longPressBeforeDrag = LongPressGesture(minimumDuration: 0.5)    .sequenced(before: DragGesture())    .onEnded { value in        guard case .second(true, let drag?) = value else { return }        finalOffset.width += drag.translation.width        finalOffset.height += drag.translation.height    }

.exclusively(before:) — only one succeeds (first has priority)

swift
let doubleTapOrLongPress = TapGesture(count: 2)    .exclusively(before:        LongPressGesture()    )    .onEnded { result in        switch result {        case .first(_): handleDoubleTap()        case .second(_): handleLongPress()        }    }

@GestureState

@GestureState is a property wrapper that automatically resets to its initial value when the gesture ends. Use for transient feedback; use @State for values that persist.

swift
@GestureState private var dragOffset = CGSize.zero  // resets to .zero@State private var position = CGSize.zero            // persists
Circle()    .offset(        x: position.width + dragOffset.width,        y: position.height + dragOffset.height    )    .gesture(        DragGesture()            .updating($dragOffset) { value, state, _ in                state = value.translation            }            .onEnded { value in                position.width += value.translation.width                position.height += value.translation.height            }    )

Custom reset with animation: @GestureState(resetTransaction: Transaction(animation: .spring))

Adding Gestures to Views

Three modifiers control gesture priority in the view hierarchy:

ModifierBehavior
.gesture()Lower precedence than gestures already defined by the view or its children.
.highPriorityGesture()Added gesture takes precedence over existing gestures.
.simultaneousGesture()Added gesture processes at the same priority as existing gestures.
swift
let parentTap = TapGesture().onEnded { handleParent() }
VStack {    Image(systemName: "star.fill")        .onTapGesture { handleChild() }}.simultaneousGesture(parentTap) // Both handlers run on child content.

Use .gesture(parentTap) for the default lower-precedence parent gesture, or .highPriorityGesture(parentTap) when the added parent gesture should win.

GestureMask

Control which gestures participate when using .gesture(_:including:):

swift
.gesture(drag, including: .gesture)   // added gesture; disables subview gestures.gesture(drag, including: .subviews)  // subview gestures; disables added gesture.gesture(drag, including: .all)       // default: added + subview gestures.gesture(drag, including: .none)      // disables added + subview gestures

Custom Gesture Protocol

Create reusable gestures by conforming to Gesture:

swift
struct SwipeGesture: Gesture {    enum Direction { case left, right, up, down }    typealias Value = Direction
    let minimumDistance: CGFloat
    init(minimumDistance: CGFloat = 50) {        self.minimumDistance = minimumDistance    }
    var body: AnyGesture<Direction> {        AnyGesture(            DragGesture(minimumDistance: minimumDistance)                .map { value in                    let h = value.translation.width, v = value.translation.height                    if abs(h) > abs(v) {                        return h > 0 ? .right : .left                    } else {                        return v > 0 ? .down : .up                    }                }        )    }}
// UsageRectangle().gesture(SwipeGesture().onEnded { print("Swiped \($0)") })

Wrap in a View extension for ergonomic API:

swift
extension View {    func onSwipe(perform action: @escaping (SwipeGesture.Direction) -> Void) -> some View {        gesture(SwipeGesture().onEnded(action))    }}

Common Mistakes

1. Misreading parent/child gesture precedence

Do not assume a parent .gesture() overrides child gestures. Choose the relationship explicitly as shown in Adding Gestures to Views.

2. Using @State instead of @GestureState for transient state

Use @GestureState for values that should reset when recognition ends; keep persistent results in @State. See @GestureState.

3. Not using .updating() for intermediate feedback

swift
// DON'T: No visual feedback during long pressLongPressGesture(minimumDuration: 2.0)    .onEnded { _ in showResult = true }
// DO: Provide feedback while pressing@GestureState private var isPressing = false
LongPressGesture(minimumDuration: 2.0)    .updating($isPressing) { current, state, _ in        state = current    }    .onEnded { _ in showResult = true }

4. Using deprecated gesture types on iOS 17+

swift
// DON'T: Deprecated since iOS 17MagnificationGesture()   // deprecated — use MagnifyGesture()
// DO: Use newer gesture typesMagnifyGesture()         // iOS 17+RotateGesture()          // iOS 17+ (newer alternative to RotationGesture)

5. Heavy computation in onChanged

swift
// DON'T: Expensive work called every frame (~60-120 Hz)DragGesture()    .onChanged { value in        let result = performExpensiveHitTest(at: value.location)        let filtered = applyComplexFilter(result)        updateModel(filtered)    }
// DO: Throttle or defer expensive workDragGesture()    .onChanged { value in        dragPosition = value.location  // lightweight state update only    }    .onEnded { value in        performExpensiveHitTest(at: value.location)  // once at end    }

6. Using onTapGesture for actions that should be a Button

swift
// DON'T: onTapGesture has no accessibility traits, VoiceOver role,// Voice Control targeting, Switch Control scanning, or keyboard activationText("Delete")    .onTapGesture { deleteItem() }
// DO: Button provides all of these automaticallyButton("Delete", role: .destructive) { deleteItem() }
// DO: For custom visuals, use ButtonStyle instead of onTapGestureButton { toggleExpanded() } label: {    CardView()}.buttonStyle(.plain)

Reserve onTapGesture for multi-tap (count: 2+), tap-location-dependent behavior, or adding tap recognition to non-interactive content that already has appropriate accessibility traits.

Review Checklist

  • Correct gesture type: MagnifyGesture/RotateGesture (not deprecated Magnification/Rotation variants)
  • @GestureState used for transient values that should reset; @State for persisted values
  • .updating() provides intermediate visual feedback during continuous gestures
  • Parent/child conflicts resolved with .highPriorityGesture() or .simultaneousGesture()
  • onChanged closures are lightweight — no heavy computation every frame
  • Composed gestures use correct combinator: simultaneously, sequenced, or exclusively
  • Persisted scale/rotation clamped to reasonable bounds in onEnded
  • Custom Gesture conformances return a gesture body; use AnyGesture<Value> when mapping to a custom Value
  • Gesture-driven animations use .spring or similar for natural deceleration
  • GestureMask considered when mixing gestures across view hierarchy levels
  • onTapGesture only used where count > 1, tap location, or coordinate space matters — plain single-tap actions use Button instead

References

Source and attribution

Source:dpearson2699/swift-ios-skillsinskills/swiftui-gesturesat commit8d90fd1

License: No license

Content belongs to its original authors. SourceWeft indexes it from a public repository.

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