Combined Next Experience release notes for upgrades from Zurich to Australia

australia Combined Product Files

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australia

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en-US

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australia Combined Product Files

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delta3az

Combined Next Experience release notes for upgrades from Zurich to Australia

Release version: Australia

Updated August 11, 2026

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Summary of Combined Next Experience release notes for upgrades from Zurich to Australia

This consolidated guide assists ServiceNow customers in preparing for upgrades of the Next Experience from Zurich to Australia releases. It summarizes new features, changes, removals, deprecations, and important upgrade considerations to facilitate a smooth transition and maximize the value of the Next Experience capabilities.

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Key Features

Lazy Loading of Workspace Pages (Zurich): Enables dynamic loading of Workspace content by default, reducing page load times, with a user preference to control this behavior and improve accessibility.
Now Assist Menu in Wide Mode (Zurich): Allows viewing the Now Assist menu in a wide layout to minimize scrolling and content truncation.
Accessibility Preferences (Zurich & Australia): Includes preferences to keep page alerts visible until manually dismissed, enable auto-focus on page alerts for keyboard and screen reader users, and enhance screen reader output by disabling lazy loading.
Usage Analytics Utility Menu (Zurich): Provides analytics data access for applications and web pages to users with the analyticsviewer role.
OpenFrame Phone Icon Badge (Zurich): Displays the number of active calls directly on the phone icon for better call management.
Next Experience All Menu Editing (Australia): Admins can create and edit application menus and modules—including Record, List, Dashboard, and Custom pages—directly from the Next Experience UI using a centralized interface.
In-Product Surveys (Australia Patch 3): Enables collection of user feedback during Next Experience usage, with option for admins to disable surveys at the instance level.
Coral Theme Enhancements (Australia): Features a modernized UI with improved contrast, rounded elements, better dark mode support, and AI-focused improvements for a visually enhanced experience.

Key Changes

ServiceNow Otto® Rebranding (Zurich Patch 12 & Australia Patch 5): The conversational AI platform formerly called Now Assist has been renamed ServiceNow Otto®, offering agentic capabilities, multimodal interactions, and autonomous orchestration across workflows and channels.

Activation and Requirements

Activation: Next Experience and Theme Builder are activated by default upon upgrading to Zurich or Australia releases. If issues arise, an opt-out system property can be configured prior to upgrade.
Browser Support: Internet Explorer 11 and the iOS version of Firefox are not supported in either Zurich or Australia releases.

Accessibility Highlights

Dark theme option in the Coral theme helps reduce eye strain and improves readability across web and mobile.
Accessibility preferences improve navigation and alert visibility for keyboard and screen reader users.
A guided tour is available to help users customize accessibility settings including navigation and visual themes.

Upgrade Considerations

Review and complete pre- and post-upgrade tasks specific to the Next Experience Australia release.
Note that there are no removals or deprecations of Next Experience features between Zurich and Australia.
For releases with no updates in Next Experience, a note is provided to clarify the status.

By understanding these updates and enhancements, ServiceNow customers can effectively leverage the Next Experience to improve user engagement, accessibility, and operational efficiency after upgrading to the Australia release.

Consolidated page of all release notes for Next Experience from Zurich to Australia.

How to use this page

To help you prepare for your upgrade, we have combined the cross-family Next Experience release notes onto one page. Read this summary of the new features, changes, and updated information for your product from Zurich to Australia.

Tip:

If there were no updates for a release notes section in a certain family release, we included a short note for your reference. For example, if a product did not have any updates in Tokyo, the row says "No updates for this release."

Important information for upgrading Next Experience to Australia

Before you upgrade to Australia, review these pre- and post-upgrade tasks and complete the tasks as needed.


Release	Release notes
Zurich	No updates for this release.
Australia	No updates for this release.

New features

Between your current release family and Australia, new features were introduced for Next Experience.


Release	Release notes
Zurich	Lazy loading of Workspace pages user preference available Control how your Workspace pages are loaded, either all at once or as needed, by using the new Workspace lazy load user preference. Lazy loading is enabled by default and displays content dynamically, reducing page load times. See the Accessibility information section for additional details. Use the menu toggle to view the Now Assist menu in wide mode View the Now Assist menu in wide mode to reduce the need for scrolling and truncating content. Configure accessibility preferences Use a new accessibility preference to keep page alerts visible. See the Accessibility information section for additional details. Usage Analytics utility menu available Obtain usage analytic data for your applications and web pages with the Usage Analytics utility menu. The Usage Analytics menu appears for those users with the analytics_viewer role. View the number of active calls from the OpenFrame phone icon View the number of active calls from the numbered badge on the OpenFrame phone icon.
Australia	Enable auto-focus on page alerts new accessibility preference Turn on the Enable auto-focus on page alerts preference to automatically move focus to the page alert. See the Accessibility section for details. Next experience all menu editing Create and edit application menus and modules directly from the Next Experience UI. Admins can configure Record, List, Dashboard, and Custom page modules from a centralized, platform-native interface. Australia Patch 3 In-Product Surveys Collect feedback from users as they work in Next Experience. Admins can turn off surveys at the instance level.

Changes

Between your current release family and Australia, some changes were made to existing Next Experience features.


Release	Release notes
Zurich	Zurich Patch 12 Now Assist > ServiceNow Otto® announcement Now Assist introduced AI on the platform. As that experience has evolved, there's a new name for the experience. ServiceNow Otto® is the conversational AI platform integrated into ServiceNow workflows. It provides agentic capabilities, supports multimodal interactions across web, mobile, and messaging channels, and enables autonomous orchestration for cross-system workflows.
Australia	Australia Patch 5 Now Assist > ServiceNow Otto® announcement Now Assist introduced AI on the platform. As that experience has evolved, there's a new name for the experience. ServiceNow Otto® is the conversational AI platform integrated into ServiceNow workflows. It provides agentic capabilities, supports multimodal interactions across web, mobile, and messaging channels, and enables autonomous orchestration for cross-system workflows.

Removed

Between your current release family and Australia, some Next Experience features or functionality were removed.


Release	Release notes
Zurich	No updates for this release.
Australia	No updates for this release.

Deprecations

Between your current release family and Australia, some Next Experience features or functionality were deprecated.


Release	Release notes
Zurich	No updates for this release.
Australia	No updates for this release.

Activation information

Review information on how to activate Next Experience.


Release	Release notes
Zurich	Next Experience is a ServiceNow AI Platform feature that is active by default when the user loads or upgrades to the Zurich release. If there are known problems with turning on Next Experience on an instance, an opt-out system property can be created before upgrade. Theme Builder comes with the Next Experience and is active by default.
Australia	Next Experience is a ServiceNow AI Platform® feature that is active by default when the user loads or upgrades to the Australia release. If there are known problems with turning on Next Experience on an instance, an opt-out system property can be created before upgrade. Theme Builder comes with the Next Experience and is active by default.

Additional requirements

If any additional requirements were introduced or changed for Next Experience we have noted them here.


Release	Release notes
Zurich	No updates for this release.
Australia	No updates for this release.

Browser requirements

If any specific browser requirements were introduced or changed for Next Experience we have noted them here.


Release	Release notes
Zurich	The Zurich release doesn't support Internet Explorer 11. The iOS version of Firefox is also not supported.
Australia	The Australia release doesn't support Internet Explorer 11. The iOS version of Firefox is also not supported.

Accessibility information

Review details on accessibility information for Next Experience, such as specific requirements or compliance levels.


Release	Release notes
Zurich	Dark theme The new Coral theme includes a dark theme option for web and mobile experiences. This option is commonly used to alleviate eye strain and improve readability. New Accessibility preference added for page alerts Turn on the Do not auto-dismiss page alerts preference to keep page alerts visible until you manually close them. New Workspace preference added to enhance screen reader output for your Workspace pages A new Workspace preference lets you turn off lazy loading for workspace pages. When you turn off lazy loading, the entire page loads at once. This action improves compatibility with screen readers and provides a more consistent and reliable reading experience.
Australia	Enable auto-focus on page alerts new accessibility preference When enabled, this preference automatically moves your keyboard focus to important alerts so you don't miss critical messages while navigating with a keyboard or screen reader. Learn about accessibility preferences with a guided tour Explore accessibility preferences with a guided tour that shows how to customize navigation, keyboard behavior, and visual themes in Next Experience.

Localization information

If there are specific localization considerations for Next Experience we have noted them here.


Release	Release notes
Zurich	No updates for this release.
Australia	No updates for this release.

Highlight information

If there are specific highlight considerations for Next Experience we have noted them here.


Release	Release notes
Zurich	Customize the visual experience of the Now Assist menu by using the new toggle to switch between standard or wide view. Manage the visibility of page alerts with a new accessibility user preference. Access usage analytic data for applications and web pages directly with the new Usage Analytics utility menu. See Next Experience UI for more information.
Australia	Manage the visibility of page alerts with a new accessibility user preference. Explore a modernized Coral theme with better contrast, rounded UI elements, improved dark mode, and AI-focused enhancements. See Next Experience UI for more information.