Request a new branded iOS app for private distribution

Request, test, and publish a custom iOS 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 iOS app that you can distribute privately. After the request form is completed and the build is successful, you can use TestFlight to test the build. After testing is completed and you have approved the build of your app in your ServiceNow® instance, the app is published to your Apple Business Manager account. Then you can distribute the app to your employees with your Mobile Device Management (MDM) vendor or by using Apple Business Manager store redemption codes.

Images that do not follow the guidelines listed below might appear cut off in your branded app 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 app's info
   App type	Select either Now Mobile or Mobile Agent. For more information about these mobile apps, see Now Mobile app or Mobile Agent app 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 iOS 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 can't exceed 13 characters. This name displays below the app icon on mobile devices.
   Long name	Unique name for your app. The name can't exceed 30 characters and must be unique. This name displays for your app when asking for device permissions such as location or push notifications.
   Bundle ID	Based on what you entered for the app name and app type, this field auto-populates with the Bundle ID. You can select the copy icon () to copy this name to your system clipboard.
   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.
   iOS Universal links Note: If you selected iOS and Android for your Operating System in the Add basic info form, this configuration section is named Deep links and Universal links. For more information about deep links, see Deep linking for mobile.	This table shows all ServiceNow instances used for your organization that can be built into your app as iOS Universal links. Select the URLs that you want to use as Universal links. If you need to configure a deep link to a URL that isn't listed in the table, select Add custom URL, enter the URL, and then it's added to the table for selection. Note: This functionality can only be edited when you submit a new branded app request or when you update a branded app. You must download the Apple App Site Association (AASA) JSON file after you submit this request and install the file on all instances in the URL list. To learn more about mobile deep links and universal links, see Mobile URLs.
   Login management
   Pre-populate instance	Turn on this toggle to build an instance URL into your branded app so end-users don't need to type the instance URL during login. Instead they only need to provide their login credentials. Enter a default app instance URL that is secure and uses the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (https://). Note: This instance URL can only be added when you submit a new branded app request or when you update a branded app. 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 that displays on the mobile app for your end-users. This field is only visible if you select the Pre-populate instance toggle.

6. Select Next.
7. On the Set up for iOS form, fill in the fields.

   Table 3. Set up for iOS form

   Field	Description
   Apple account
   Organization ID	Organization ID is available in the settings of your Apple Business Manager (ABM) account. This ID is used to publish your branded iOS app to your ABM account.
   Organization name	Organization name that is available in the settings of your Apple Business Manager account. This name is used to publish your branded iOS app to your ABM account.
   iOS icon 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.
   App icon	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 1024 px by 1024 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.
   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 company name and logo 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.
   Internal iOS app testers	Testers for the iOS app. For iOS branding, users are required to receive notifications from Apple TestFlight. Select Add and enter the First name, Last name, and Email address for each tester. For more information on TestFlight, see the Apple documentation. Note: To add additional testers or different testers after you have submitted your branded app request, open a ticket with ServiceNow Support.
   iOS Universal Links	Universal links enable users to follow links to content inside your app. The displayed URL is for the production instance where your app is hosted. To change the existing URL, select the edit icon (), edit the URL, and then select Save. To add an additional URL, select Add, enter the URL, and then select Save. For more information about using universal links in Mobile Publishing, see KB1273622 in the ServiceNow Support knowledge base. You must log in to view this link content.

8. Select Next.
9. Optional: If you selected iOS and Android in the Operating System field on the Add basic info form in Step 3 above, see Step 8 in Request a new branded Android app for private distribution for information about filling out the Set up for Android form.
   After you complete the optional Android configuration, return to Step 10 in this topic to complete your request for a private branded iOS app.
10. In the Review and submit form, review the selections you made in Steps 1-9.
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 iOS apps must be inspected by Apple's human reviewers and can take 2-4 weeks until they are ready for testing. If you are on a tight timeline, submit your privately distributed Android app first so that you can test it while you submit and wait for the iOS app build to complete. ServiceNow can't expedite this timeline because it's determined by Apple.

What to do next

Note:

For private branded iOS apps that are managed by Microsoft Intune, you must get your Microsoft Entra ID administrator's consent. This can be done at any point during the build process, but must be done before distribution. For more information, see Microsoft Entra ID App Registration Mandate for iOS Intune Mobile App - Mobile Publishing (KB1640759). (You must have an account and log in to view this ServiceNow KB.)

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