{"id":1425,"date":"2026-06-12T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tolinku.com\/blog\/?p=1425"},"modified":"2026-03-07T03:49:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T08:49:13","slug":"apple-spotlight-indexing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tolinku.com\/blog\/apple-spotlight-indexing\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple Spotlight Indexing for iOS Apps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Apple Spotlight is the search system built into every iOS device. When users swipe down on their home screen and type a query, Spotlight searches across apps, contacts, messages, files, and the web. If your app indexes its content with Spotlight, your app's content appears in these results, giving users a direct path back into your app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike Google App Indexing (which surfaces content in web search results), Spotlight indexing is on-device. The index lives locally, which means it is fast, private, and works offline. This guide covers the three indexing methods Apple provides and how to implement each one. For the broader app indexing strategy, see app indexing and SEO for mobile apps<\/a>. For Google's equivalent, see Google App Indexing setup<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three Indexing Methods<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Apple provides three complementary methods for indexing app content in Spotlight:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n
Method<\/th>\nBest For<\/th>\nScope<\/th>\nRequires Web<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
CoreSpotlight<\/a><\/td>\nApp-specific content (products, articles, messages)<\/td>\nOn-device only<\/td>\nNo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NSUserActivity<\/a><\/td>\nContent the user has viewed or interacted with<\/td>\nOn-device + Apple Search<\/td>\nYes (for public indexing)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Web Markup<\/td>\nContent that exists on your website<\/td>\nApple Search (cross-device)<\/td>\nYes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For maximum coverage, use all three. CoreSpotlight indexes content the user has not viewed yet, NSUserActivity indexes content the user has engaged with (and optionally makes it public), and web markup indexes content from your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method 1: CoreSpotlight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

CoreSpotlight lets you create a searchable index of your app's content. Each item you index has a title, description, thumbnail, and a unique identifier that your app uses to route the user to the correct content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basic Implementation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
import CoreSpotlight\nimport MobileCoreServices\n\nfunc indexProduct(_ product: Product) {\n    let attributeSet = CSSearchableItemAttributeSet(contentType: .content)\n    attributeSet.title = product.name\n    attributeSet.contentDescription = product.description\n    attributeSet.thumbnailData = product.thumbnailData\n\n    \/\/ Optional: add additional metadata\n    attributeSet.rating = NSNumber(value: product.averageRating)\n    attributeSet.ratingDescription = "\\(product.reviewCount) reviews"\n\n    let item = CSSearchableItem(\n        uniqueIdentifier: "product-\\(product.id)",\n        domainIdentifier: "com.yourapp.products",\n        attributeSet: attributeSet\n    )\n\n    \/\/ Items expire after 30 days by default\n    item.expirationDate = Calendar.current.date(byAdding: .day, value: 30, to: Date())\n\n    CSSearchableIndex.default().indexSearchableItems([item]) { error in\n        if let error = error {\n            print("Indexing failed: \\(error.localizedDescription)")\n        }\n    }\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Handling Spotlight Taps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When a user taps a Spotlight result, your app receives the unique identifier. Handle it in your AppDelegate or SceneDelegate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\/\/ SceneDelegate\nfunc scene(_ scene: UIScene, continue userActivity: NSUserActivity) {\n    if userActivity.activityType == CSSearchableItemActionType {\n        guard let identifier = userActivity.userInfo?[CSSearchableItemActivityIdentifier] as? String else {\n            return\n        }\n\n        \/\/ Parse the identifier and navigate\n        if identifier.hasPrefix("product-") {\n            let productId = String(identifier.dropFirst("product-".count))\n            navigateToProduct(productId)\n        }\n    }\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Batch Indexing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
For large catalogs, index items in batches:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
func indexAllProducts(_ products: [Product]) {\n    let items = products.map { product -> CSSearchableItem in\n        let attributeSet = CSSearchableItemAttributeSet(contentType: .content)\n        attributeSet.title = product.name\n        attributeSet.contentDescription = product.description\n\n        return CSSearchableItem(\n            uniqueIdentifier: "product-\\(product.id)",\n            domainIdentifier: "com.yourapp.products",\n            attributeSet: attributeSet\n        )\n    }\n\n    \/\/ Index in batches of 100\n    let batchSize = 100\n    for batchStart in stride(from: 0, to: items.count, by: batchSize) {\n        let batchEnd = min(batchStart + batchSize, items.count)\n        let batch = Array(items[batchStart..<batchEnd])\n\n        CSSearchableIndex.default().indexSearchableItems(batch) { error in\n            if let error = error {\n                print("Batch indexing failed: \\(error.localizedDescription)")\n            }\n        }\n    }\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Removing Items<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When content is deleted from your app, remove it from the Spotlight index:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\/\/ Remove a single item\nCSSearchableIndex.default().deleteSearchableItems(\n    withIdentifiers: ["product-123"]\n) { error in\n    \/\/ Handle error\n}\n\n\/\/ Remove all items in a domain\nCSSearchableIndex.default().deleteSearchableItems(\n    withDomainIdentifiers: ["com.yourapp.products"]\n) { error in\n    \/\/ Handle error\n}\n\n\/\/ Remove everything\nCSSearchableIndex.default().deleteAllSearchableItems { error in\n    \/\/ Handle error\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Method 2: NSUserActivity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
NSUserActivity<\/a> was originally designed for Handoff (continuing activities across Apple devices) but also powers Spotlight indexing and Siri suggestions. When you mark an activity as eligible for search, it appears in Spotlight results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Basic Implementation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
class ProductViewController: UIViewController {\n    var product: Product!\n\n    override func viewDidAppear(_ animated: Bool) {\n        super.viewDidAppear(animated)\n\n        let activity = NSUserActivity(activityType: "com.yourapp.viewProduct")\n        activity.title = product.name\n        activity.isEligibleForSearch = true\n        activity.isEligibleForPublicIndexing = true \/\/ Makes it visible to all users\n\n        \/\/ Required for public indexing: associate with a web URL\n        activity.webpageURL = URL(string: "https:\/\/www.yourapp.com\/products\/\\(product.id)")\n\n        \/\/ Search attributes\n        let attributes = CSSearchableItemAttributeSet(contentType: .content)\n        attributes.contentDescription = product.description\n        attributes.thumbnailData = product.thumbnailData\n        activity.contentAttributeSet = attributes\n\n        \/\/ Keywords for search\n        activity.keywords = Set(product.tags)\n\n        \/\/ Link to the app content\n        activity.userInfo = ["productId": product.id]\n\n        self.userActivity = activity\n        activity.becomeCurrent()\n    }\n\n    override func viewDidDisappear(_ animated: Bool) {\n        super.viewDidDisappear(animated)\n        userActivity?.invalidate()\n    }\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Public Indexing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When isEligibleForPublicIndexing<\/code> is true<\/code>, Apple may include your content in search results for all users (not just the user who viewed it). This is Apple's equivalent of Google App Indexing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Requirements for public indexing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n