Display Shared Links with SharedWithYou in iOS 16

In iOS 16, Apple's SharedWithYou framework allows developers to present web links and universal links sent through Messages directly inside their own native apps. By leveraging the framework's dedicated APIs—specifically SWHighlightCenter and SWAttributionView—apps can surface shared content alongside contextual sender information, enabling users to view the content and reply back into Messages without leaving the app.

Detecting Shared Content with SWHighlightCenter

The integration begins with SWHighlightCenter, the central coordinator that tracks incoming links and media shared with the user. When an app launches, it initializes an instance of SWHighlightCenter and assigns a delegate conforming to SWHighlightCenterDelegate.

Whenever a contact shares a Universal Link belonging to the app in Messages, iOS flags the link as a highlight. The framework posts updates through the delegate method highlightCenterHighlightsDidChange(_:). The app queries the highlight center's highlights array, filtering for SWURLHighlight objects. Each SWURLHighlight contains the destination URL that matches the app's supported content.

Presenting Sender Attribution with SWAttributionView

To display the social context of a link, iOS 16 relies on SWAttributionView. Developers do not manually design or render the sender's contact details; instead, Apple provides this standardized, system-rendered view to maintain visual consistency and protect user privacy.

The process for displaying the attribution includes:

  1. Instantiation: Create an instance of SWAttributionView and add it to the view hierarchy alongside the content preview (such as a card, collection view cell, or banner).
  2. Assignment: Assign the corresponding SWURLHighlight object to the highlight property of the SWAttributionView.
  3. Layout: Position the attribution view. It automatically adjusts its dimensions to present a pill-shaped indicator displaying the sender's avatar and name.

Privacy and Interaction Handling

SWAttributionView runs as a secure out-of-process UI element. The host app never gains direct access to the sender’s personal information, contact photo, or the message thread itself.

When a user taps the SWAttributionView:

  • A system-level menu appears, displaying the original message snippet and conversation details.
  • The user can send a quick inline reply back into the Messages conversation.
  • The user can jump directly into the full conversation in the Messages app.

By linking SWURLHighlight to SWAttributionView, apps in iOS 16 integrate shared web links natively while delegating privacy-sensitive interaction to the operating system.