Request a new branded Android app for private distribution

Request, test, and publish a custom Android app that has your unique company identity. Then make the app available for private distribution.

Before you begin

Role required: admin

About this task

Mobile Publishing enables you to request a branded Android app that you can distribute privately. After the request form is completed and the build is successful, you can download an Android Package file (.apk), and an Android App Bundle file (.aab). You can then upload the APK and AAB files to your MDM portal or Managed Google Play account. These files can also be hosted on a website for Android users to download the application directly onto their devices.

Ensure that images or text in icons you use are at least 550 pixels from the edge to account for the rounded corners in Android icons.

Images that do not follow this guideline may appear cut off, as shown in this example.

Procedure

1. Navigate to All > Mobile Branding > Manage Mobile Publishing Apps.
2. Select Request a new app.
3. On the Add basic info form, fill in the fields.

   Table 1. Add basic info form

   Field	Description
   Your contact info	Enter the name and email address for the requester of the branded mobile app. The email address is used to send notifications about the build status of your request.
   Your apps info
   App type	Select either Now Mobile or Mobile Agent. For more information about these mobile apps, see Now Mobile or Mobile Agent documentation. In the Washington DC release and later, select customers can use custom app types. For more information, see Create custom-type mobile apps with Mobile Publishing.
   Distribution type	Type of distribution. Select Private/Enterprise.
   Operating System (OS)	Mobile operating system for your mobile app. Select Android only. If you need to brand mobile apps for both operating systems, select iOS and Android.

4. Select Next.
5. On the Add app details form, fill in the fields.

   Table 2. Add app details form

   Field	Description
   Short name	Name of the app icon. The name cannot exceed 13 characters. This name displays below the app icon on mobile devices.
   Long name	Unique name for your app. The name cannot exceed 30 characters and must be unique. This name displays for your app when asking for device permissions such as location or push notifications.
   Package name	Based on what you entered for the app name and app type, this field auto-populates with the package name. You can select the copy icon () to copy this name to your system clipboard.
   Pre-populate instance	Toggle that enables you to enter a default app instance URL that is used for user login. Enter a default app instance URL that is secure and uses SSL over HTTP (https://). Note: Do not select this option if you are using AppConfig to pre-configure a default instance URL through an EMM suite or an embedded MAM SDK app. For more information, see AppConfig for Mobile Apps.
   Default app instance	Enter the secure default app instance URL. This field is only visible if you select the Pre-populate instance toggle.
   Nickname	(Optional) Enter a nickname for the Default app instance URL. This field is only visible if you select the Pre-populate instance toggle.
   Mobile Application Management (MAM)	Whether you want to use a MAM vendor with your apps. For more information, see Mobile application management (MAM) integration. To enable a MAM vendor, select the Use Mobile Application Management toggle.
   Mobile Application Management vendor	Select one of the following MAM vendors form the list: Blackberry Intune This field is only visible if you select the Mobile Application Management (MAM) toggle.
   End-user license agreement (EULA) and privacy policy	EULA and privacy policy options. Select the toggle Use ServiceNow's EULA and privacy policy to turn on the default EULA and privacy policy.
   EULA	URL where app users can view your custom end user license agreement from the mobile app settings. This option only displays when you do not select to use the default ServiceNow EULA.
   Privacy policy	URL where app users can view your custom privacy policy from the mobile app settings. This option only displays when you do not select to use the default ServiceNow privacy policy.

6. Select Next.
7. Optional: If you selected iOS and Android in the Operating System field on the Add basic info form in Step 3 above, see Step 7 in Request a new branded iOS app for private distribution for information about filling out the Set up for iOS form.
8. On the Set up for Android form, fill in the fields.

   Table 3. Set up for Android form

   Field	Description
   Google account
   Firebase app ID	App ID of the Android app in your Google Firebase project. The ID is the unique identifier for the Firebase app across all Firebase projects. App IDs always contain the string name :android: within the ID. Note: Each Firebase app ID is unique to the branded app request. If you request multiple apps, each app must have its own unique Firebase app ID. The package name of the branded app defaults to com.servicenow.b2b.<app_name_long_no_spaces>.<client_type>. For more information, see the Google Firebase documentation.
   Firebase API key	API key of the Android app in your Google Firebase project. This key is a string that is used when calling Firebase APIs. For more information, see the Google Firebase documentation.
   Firebase project ID	ID of the Google Firebase project. This is a user-assigned unique identifier for your Firebase project. For more information, see the Google Firebase documentation.
   Opt-in to trust user-added certificate authorities	Option that enables you to opt in your app to the trusted user-added certificate authority (CA). By default, apps that target API level 24 don't honor user supplied CAs. Select the toggle to reduce the application attack surface and to encourage consistent handling of network and file-based application data.
   Android icons and splash screen
   Use ServiceNow's icons and splash screens	Option that enables you to use the default ServiceNow branding and splash screens. If you turn on the toggle to select this option, the customization options are not available.
   Adaptive icon foreground	Foreground launcher icon for your app. Select Upload to browse for the image file you want to use. The image file must meet the following requirements: File must be in the PNG format. Image size must be 2048 px by 2048 px. Image must be an icon of a company logo with no text. The icon must take up most of the image. Image must be on a transparent background.
   Adaptive icon background	Background launcher icon for your app. Select Upload to browse for the image file you want to use. The image file must meet the following requirements: File must be in the PNG format. Image size must be 2048 px by 2048 px. Image must have no logo or text. Image must have no graphics. Image must not have rounded corners.
   Notification icon	Notification icon for your app. This icon is used as the push notification icon on the notification screen. Select Upload to browse for the image file you want to use. The image file must meet the following requirements: File must be in the PNG format. Image size must be 2048 px by 2048 px. Image must contain the company logo with no text on a transparent background. Image must not have rounded corners.
   Splash screen logo	Splash screen for your app. Select Upload to browse for the image file you want to use. The image file must meet the following requirements: File must be in the PNG format. Image size must be 2048 px by 2048 px. Image must contain the brand logo or graphic on a transparent background.
   Splash screen background color	Colored box where you select a color for the splash screen background color for your app. Select the square and then select a color on the color picker. The associated hex color code is populated in the text box.

9. Select Next.
10. In the Review and submit form, review the selections you made in Steps 1-8.
11. If all the selections are what you want, select Submit to submit your branded app build request.

Result

After you complete the request form and submit it, your ServiceNow® instance builds the app.

To view the status of the build:

1. Navigate to All > Mobile Branding > Manage Mobile Publishing Apps.
2. In Your recent app requests section, select the card for your branded app request to view its status on the Request details page.

When it completes, you receive an email notification about the status of the build.

Note:

• You can only submit one build at a time. You can't submit another build until the current build is canceled, failed, or completed.
• Privately distributed Android apps usually take less than one week to be ready for testing. In many cases these apps are ready for testing within the same day that they are requested. However, ServiceNow can't expedite the time line because it's determined by Google.

What to do next

After the build successfully completes and your app is ready for testing, see Test and publish a new branded Android app for private distribution.