Sample CodeiOS, iPadOS, Mac CatalystReviewed 2026-07-21View on Apple Developer

Implementing spatial interactions with third-party accessories

At a glance

Item Summary
Purpose Establish a connection with a nearby accessory to receive periodic measurements of its distance from the user.
App architecture A Swift sample with the source-visible chain AppDelegateAccessoryDemoViewControllerTransferServiceNearbyInteraction APIs.
Main patterns View-controller organization, Delegate or data-source callbacks, Service object
Project style 5 scanned source file(s) across Swift, organized around ranked entry, type, and file boundaries.

Project structure

Source bundle/
├── NINearbyAccessorySample/
│   ├── AppDelegate.swift
│   ├── AccessoryDemoViewController.swift
│   ├── BluetoothSupport/
│   │   ├── SceneDelegate.swift
│   │   └── BluetoothLECentral.swift
│   ├── SceneDelegate.swift
│   ├── Base.lproj/
│   │   ├── LaunchScreen.storyboard
│   │   └── Main.storyboard
│   └── Info.plist
├── Configuration/
│   └── SampleCode.xcconfig
└── NINearbyAccessorySample.xcodeproj/
    ├── .xcodesamplecode.plist
    └── project.pbxproj

Structure observations

  • Architecturally prominent files are ranked from entry points and role-named declarations; resource-only paths are omitted.
  • Primary languages: Swift.
  • The verified tree contains 6 project/configuration file(s) and 8 source declaration(s).

Overall architecture

Reference code

NINearbyAccessorySample/AppDelegate.swift:10 — architecture anchor

@main
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
    // ...
}

Interpretation

The arrows summarize the source-visible entry, role-named types or folders, and framework direction; when nodes come from structural folders, the sequence is a high-level interpretation rather than proof that every adjacent node calls the next. Ownership is claimed only where the next section cites a stored property or assignment. The diagram is intentionally limited to the dominant path into Nearby Interaction.

Ownership and state

Ownership evidence

NINearbyAccessorySample/AccessoryDemoViewController.swift:28 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor

    var dataChannel = DataCommunicationChannel()
    var niSession = NISession()
    var configuration: NINearbyAccessoryConfiguration?
    var accessoryConnected = false
    var connectedAccessoryName: String?
    // A mapping from a discovery token to a name.
    var accessoryMap = [NIDiscoveryToken: String]()
Owner Object or state Relationship Mutation authority
AccessoryDemoViewController DataCommunicationChannel (dataChannel) creates and retains App/module collaborators
AccessoryDemoViewController NISession (niSession) creates and retains App/module collaborators
AccessoryDemoViewController NINearbyAccessoryConfiguration (configuration) stores or receives App/module collaborators
AccessoryDemoViewController String (connectedAccessoryName) owns value state App/module collaborators

Composition arrows indicate a source-visible construction expression or locally owned value state; aggregation means the owner stores or receives a dependency without proving exclusive lifetime ownership.

Class and protocol design

NINearbyAccessorySample/AppDelegate.swift:11 — representative type boundary

class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
    // ...
}
Type Responsibility Depends on or conforms to
AppDelegate Receives callback-driven events UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate
AccessoryDemoViewController View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination UIViewController
SceneDelegate Receives callback-driven events UIResponder, UIWindowSceneDelegate
SceneDelegate Receives callback-driven events UIResponder, UIWindowSceneDelegate
TransferService Framework-facing operations Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks
MessageId Defines a closed set of feature states or choices UInt8
BluetoothLECentralError Represents feature failure conditions Error
DataCommunicationChannel Owns feature behavior and collaborator lifecycle NSObject

No local protocol conformance is claimed as protocol-oriented design; external framework conformances are listed only as dependencies.

Access control

Symbol Access Verified effect Likely rationale
retrievePeripheral (NINearbyAccessorySample/BluetoothSupport/BluetoothLECentral.swift:77) private Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. Inference: hide an implementation step that is not part of the collaboration surface.
cleanup (NINearbyAccessorySample/BluetoothSupport/BluetoothLECentral.swift:99) private Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. Inference: hide an implementation step that is not part of the collaboration surface.
writeData (NINearbyAccessorySample/BluetoothSupport/BluetoothLECentral.swift:118) private Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. Inference: hide an implementation step that is not part of the collaboration surface.
centralManagerDidUpdateState (NINearbyAccessorySample/BluetoothSupport/BluetoothLECentral.swift:150) internal No explicit modifier means the Swift declaration is internal to the module. Inference: the language’s file or module boundary is sufficient for this sample collaboration.

Reference code

NINearbyAccessorySample/BluetoothSupport/BluetoothLECentral.swift:77 — representative boundary

    private func retrievePeripheral() {
        // ...
    }

Swift declarations without a modifier are internal; explicit private, fileprivate, private(set), public, or open entries above are interpreted by language semantics. Objective-C/C samples instead rely on header and implementation boundaries, which are not equivalent to Swift lexical privacy.

Logic ownership and placement

Logic Owning type or file Placement rationale
View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination AccessoryDemoViewController The source’s Controller suffix makes this role explicit.
Receives callback-driven events AppDelegate, SceneDelegate The source’s Delegate suffix makes this role explicit.
Framework-facing operations TransferService The source’s Service suffix makes this role explicit.

Design patterns

Pattern Source evidence Purpose or tradeoff
View-controller organization NINearbyAccessorySample/AccessoryDemoViewController.swift:27 A controller is the verified coordination boundary; this is MVC-style only where a separate model is present.
Delegate or data-source callbacks NINearbyAccessorySample/AppDelegate.swift:11 Callback protocols invert event delivery back into the sample’s owner.
Service object NINearbyAccessorySample/BluetoothSupport/BluetoothLECentral.swift:13 A role-named service contains framework-facing operations.

Naming conventions

  • Types: Controller: AccessoryDemoViewController; Delegate: AppDelegate, SceneDelegate; Service: TransferService.
  • Protocols: no local protocol declaration in the scanned source.
  • Methods: application, viewDidLoad, buttonAction, accessorySharedData, accessoryConnected, accessoryDisconnected, setupAccessory, handleAccessoryUwbDidStart.
  • Files: NINearbyAccessorySample/AppDelegate.swift, NINearbyAccessorySample/AccessoryDemoViewController.swift, NINearbyAccessorySample/BluetoothSupport/SceneDelegate.swift, NINearbyAccessorySample/SceneDelegate.swift.

Architecture takeaways

  • AppDelegate is the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.
  • Framework work reaches UIKit, NearbyInteraction, CoreBluetooth through a deliberately small high-level chain; the detailed API graph remains inside the cited implementation files.
  • Stored-property evidence identifies lifecycle collaboration; it does not by itself prove exclusive object ownership.
  • Access-control conclusions separate verified language visibility from the likely design rationale.
  • The source does not justify labeling the design protocol-oriented.

Source map

Source file Relevant symbols
NINearbyAccessorySample/AppDelegate.swift AppDelegate
NINearbyAccessorySample/AccessoryDemoViewController.swift MessageId, AccessoryDemoViewController
NINearbyAccessorySample/BluetoothSupport/SceneDelegate.swift SceneDelegate
NINearbyAccessorySample/SceneDelegate.swift SceneDelegate
NINearbyAccessorySample/BluetoothSupport/BluetoothLECentral.swift TransferService, BluetoothLECentralError, DataCommunicationChannel