Configure an external authentication browser for ServiceNow mobile apps

Admins can configure an external browser for mobile apps. This external browser is used during authentication so external URLs that are opened by the same browser can maintain sessions and cookies.

Before you begin

Role required: admin

About this task

Cookies aren't shared between ServiceNow® mobile app browsers and external browsers that load external sites. ServiceNow mobile apps enable end users to log in with an SSO (single sign-on) service such as Okta or Microsoft Entra ID. These SSO services provide a seamless and secure authentication experience for end users. However, sometimes end users might want to open authenticated third-party links that use the same SSO service within the app but not be required to log in again. For example, an end user might want to open a link to a report that is hosted on a different platform that uses the same SSO service as the ServiceNow mobile app.

To enable end users to access links on different platforms that use the same SSO service as the ServiceNow mobile app, admins can configure an external browser for login to the ServiceNow mobile app, so cookies are shared between login and the external site. This means that the SSO session persists after the end user logs in and then automatically logs the end user into external sites if those sites use the same SSO provider as the ServiceNow mobile app.

Web browser properties

Use the following properties to specify the external browser and the authentication browser in the CustomPreAuthProperties script include.

Table 1. Web browser properties

Mobile app operating system	Property	Description
iOS	SNExternalBrowseriOS	Configures the browser type to use for opening external links on iOS apps.
iOS	SNAuthenticationBrowseriOS	Configures the browser type to use for authenticating users on iOS apps.
Android	SNExternalBrowserAndroid	Configures the browser type to use for opening external links on Android apps.
Android	SNAuthenticationBrowserAndroid	Configures the browser type to use for authenticating users on Android apps.

Property values

The following browser types can be specified for the web browser properties.

Table 2. Browser types

Property value	Description
safari	Apple Safari
chrome	Google Chrome
firefox	Mozilla Firefox
edge	Microsoft Edge
workspaceone	AirWatch VMware Workspace ONE
webatwork	MobileIron Web@Work
blackberryaccess	BlackBerry Access
maas360	IBM MaaS360
citrix	Citrix Secure

Example

{"SNExternalBrowseriOS": "safari", "SNAuthenticationBrowseriOS": "safari"}

Important:

The values for both properties must match for SSO sessions to persist between login and other browsing.

Procedure

1. Navigate to All > sys_extension_point.list.
   The Extension Points table displays.
2. In the API Name column, find the global.CustomPreAuthProperties entry and select it.
3. In the Extension Point CustomPreAuthProperties record, under Related Links, select Create implementation.
4. In the Script Include CustomPreAuthProperties record, add the external browser and the authentication browser properties to the Script.

   For example, here's a configuration that specifies the Apple Safari browser for the external and the authentication browsers:

   var CustomPreAuthProperties = Class.create();
   CustomPreAuthProperties.prototype = {
        initialize: function() {
        },
   
        /**
         * Returns a JSON object keyed by the custom property names.
         */
        getProperties: function(input) {
             return {"SNExternalBrowseriOS": "safari", "SNAuthenticationBrowseriOS": "safari"};
        },
   
        type: 'CustomPreAuthProperties'
   };

5. Select Active to activate the script include.
6. Select Update to save your changes.