Mobile app structure

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 5 minutes to read
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    Summary of Mobile app structure

    This guide explains how components and settings are organized within ServiceNow® mobile apps, helping you efficiently navigate and utilize app features on your mobile device. Understanding this structure enables you to access tools, data, and settings quickly, enhancing your mobile ServiceNow experience.

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    Key Components

    • App Icons: Each ServiceNow app has a distinct icon on your device, which may display badges indicating unread notifications. Branded apps might have customized icons.
    • Navigation Bar: Located at the bottom of the screen, it contains tabs for quick access to settings, notifications, and frequently used screens. Administrators configure which tabs appear and their order. If more than six icons exist, a “More” tab lists additional options.
    • Launcher Screens: These act as home pages, allowing access to other screens, search, quick actions, and user info. Headers on launcher screens define the displayed title and information.
    • UI Sections: Containers within launcher screens that display screens, analytics previews, or record info.
    • Quick Actions: Provide shortcuts to common functions like record transfer or template use.
    • Settings Screen: Accessed from the navigation bar’s Settings tab, it lets you configure app options such as instance selection, location tracking, offline mode, preferences (language, notifications, themes, analytics), legal disclosures, feedback submission, app version info, and logout.
    • Notifications: Accessed via the Notifications tab, it shows push notifications with options to mark read/unread, delete, or prioritize critical alerts flagged by administrators.
    • Screens and Segments: Screens are designed for specific tasks and may include multiple segments accessible via tabs. Embedded screens (details, activity streams, related lists) provide additional context within a record.
    • Functions: Available through menus or swipe actions, these enable tasks related to the current record or navigation to other screens or resources.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Streamlined navigation: The navigation bar and launcher screens simplify access to essential app areas, improving productivity on mobile devices.
    • Customizable experience: Administrators can tailor navigation tabs, app icons, and launcher screen headers to suit organizational needs.
    • Efficient task execution: Quick actions and functions enable fast, common workflow operations directly within the app.
    • Comprehensive settings control: Options to manage instance connections, notifications, offline use, location tracking, and personalization enhance app usability and security.
    • Improved notification handling: Critical alerts and notification management features help prioritize and act on important information promptly.
    • Rich data interaction: Screens with segments and embedded views offer detailed, context-rich interfaces for interacting with ServiceNow records on mobile.

    Learn how components and settings are organized within ServiceNow® mobile apps to understand how to find the tools and data you're looking for.

    Components of a ServiceNow app

    Mobile diagram placeholder image.

    App Icons

    Each ServiceNow app has its own icon on your mobile device. You can configure your apps to show a badge indicating the number of unread notifications you have in the app.

    Note:
    If your company has provided you with branded ServiceNow mobile apps, your icons may not match the image shown here.

    Navigation bar

    Navigation bar tabs with More tab.

    Each ServiceNow app displays a navigation bar along the bottom of the screen. This bar displays icons called tabs, which you can use to access settings, notifications and commonly used screens or launcher screens.

    Your administrator selects which tabs appear in the navigation bar, and the order in which they appear. If a navigation bar has six or more icons, a More (More icon.) tab displays. Tap the More tab to see the additional tabs in a list format.

    For information on navigation bar configuration, see Navigation bar.

    Launcher screens

    Launcher screens serve as a landing page or a home page. Using a launcher screen, you can access other screens in various formats, as well as search, do quick actions, and find user information.

    Header
    The header of the launcher screen defines how the title of the screen appears and what information is shown in the header. For more details on configuring headers, see Configure a launcher screen header.
    Search
    Use global search to search through defined search sources configured on your instance. For more details, see Global search for mobile.
    UI sections
    UI sections appear as containers within launcher screens. Within sections, you can see other screens, analytics previews, record information, and more. For more details on these sections, see Launcher screen UI sections.
    Quick Actions
    Quick actions are a way to access commonly used functions, such as transferring records or using a template in the mobile app. For more details on quick actions, see Quick actions.

    For more information on launcher screens configuration, see Launcher screens.

    		 Application launcher in the Mobile Agent app.

    Settings

    Mobile navigation bar with notification badge
    Use the settings screen to configure multiple options and review information about the app. The settings page is accessed from the Settings tab on the navigation bar. The following are examples of available options. These options may vary according to the operating system you use.
    Header
    The header displays the name of the logged-in user and last login time and date.
    Instance
    Tap to view the ServiceNow instance you're currently using, and the instances that are available to you. For more information, see Working with instances.
    Location tracking
    Option to enable location tracking. Location tracking keeps a record of your location either for a defined period or while performing actions.

    For more information, see Using location tracking for mobile. For information on location tracking configuration, see Location tracking for mobile.

    Offline
    Tap to open the offline mode page. Here you can select to work offline and to download the cache.

    For more information about working in offline, see Offline mode for mobile. For information about offline configuration, see Offline mode.

    Preferences
    Tap to list additional settings. For example, languages, enable push notifications, themes, analytics, and banners.
    • Language: Tap to display the Language page, where you can select a language for your ServiceNow mobile app. For more information, see Languages on your mobile device.
    • Notification: Option to enable push notifications on your mobile device. For more information, see Enable notification settings for mobile.
    • Security: Tap to display the option to set up an app PIN. For more information, see App PIN settings for mobile.
    • Theme: Option to enable the dark theme or the default theme on your mobile app. For more information. see Enable dark theme.
    • Start my week: Option to select which day to allocate as the start of your week.
    • Analytics: Enable analytics tracking for your mobile app journey. For more information about analytics settings, see Analytics settings for mobile.
    • Banners: Tap to open the Banners page. Within the page, select the number of seconds a banner displays. You can also select whether to group multiple messages. For more information, see Define notification banner display time.
    • Chart accessibility: Select whether to display data analytics views in color or black and white patterns. For more information, see Change mobile analytics views for accessibility.
    • Swipe from edge: For Android devices that have the option to swipe a screen from the side of the device.
    Legal
    Tap to view the apps legal disclosures and privacy policy.
    Give feedback
    Tap to provide feedback on your ServiceNow mobile app experience. For more information, see Mobile app feedback.
    Version
    The version of the mobile app on your mobile device.
    Log out
    Tap to log out of the connected ServiceNow instance.

    Notifications

    The notifications page is accessed from the Notifications tab on the navigation bar. This page displays push notifications sent to you. Tap any notification to view its contents.

    Notifications that are defined by the administrator as critical are flagged with the words Critical Alert. This type of notification helps you to prioritize which ones should be addressed first.

    Unread notifications are marked with a blue dot in the margin and the title is bold. Swipe left to reveal the option to delete the message. Swipe right to reveal the option to mark the message as read/unread.

    You can mark all notifications as read or delete all notifications by tapping on the more menu (More icon.) and selecting the appropriate option.

    For more information on notifications, see Mobile notifications, Handling mobile alerts, and Enabling critical alerts.

    For information on mobile notification configuration, see Mobile push notifications.

    		 Application launcher in the Mobile Agent app.

    Screens

    Examples of screen types that you can view on your mobile device.
    Mobile screen examples.

    Screens within your mobile apps are designed for specific tasks. The template may include other optional screens that you can access for additional information. All screens display information that is based on records in a data item.

    Segments
    Screens can contain one or more segments, which display information from a specific data item. If a screen has more than one segment, you're able to switch between segments using a tabbed interface.
    Embedded screens
    Within a record screen, you might see one or many embedded screens. An embedded screen could be a details screen, an activity stream screen, a related list screen, or an embedded list screen.
    Functions
    Screens can be associated with one or more functions. Access these functions through the top menu or swipe actions. Use functions to perform tasks relating to the current record, or navigate to another screens, launcher screens, or external resources.

    For more information on screens and how to configure them, see Mobile screen types.