Device Variations

Sometimes "Tap to continue" should be "Click to continue" on Mac. Device variations let you provide platform-specific text within a single string key.

Supported Devices#

Device	Key	Example
Mac	`mac`	"Click to continue"
iPhone	`iphone`	"Tap to continue"
iPad	`ipad`	"Tap or click to continue"
Apple TV	`appletv`	"Press to continue"
Apple Watch	`applewatch`	"Tap to continue"
Vision Pro	`applevision`	"Look and tap to continue"
Default	`other`	Fallback for unspecified devices

How It Works#

{
  "continue_action": {
    "variations": {
      "device": {
        "mac": {
          "stringUnit": { "value": "Click to continue" }
        },
        "other": {
          "stringUnit": { "value": "Tap to continue" }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

The other category is required and serves as the fallback for any device not explicitly listed.

When to Use#

Good candidates for device variations:

Interaction verbs: tap, click, press, swipe
Input references: keyboard, trackpad, touch
Screen references: "on this screen" vs "in this window"
Hardware features: Touch Bar, Digital Crown

When NOT to Use#

Skip device variations for:

Generic actions like "Save" or "Cancel"
Marketing copy and feature descriptions
Text that doesn't reference user interaction

Each device variation needs to be translated separately. 6 device variations × 10 languages = 60 translations for one string. Use them sparingly.

Combined with Plurals#

You can nest device variations inside plurals:

{
  "plural": {
    "one": {
      "variations": {
        "device": {
          "mac": { "value": "Click to see %lld photo" },
          "other": { "value": "Tap to see %lld photo" }
        }
      }
    },
    "other": {
      "variations": {
        "device": {
          "mac": { "value": "Click to see %lld photos" },
          "other": { "value": "Tap to see %lld photos" }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

This multiplies complexity quickly, so only combine when necessary.