KB-2016 Mobile FAQ

Maggie Deppe-Walker — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 04:28:32 GMT

Current Revision posted to Appian Knowledge Base by Maggie Deppe-Walker on 10/24/2023 4:28:32 AM

The purpose of this article is to provide answers to some of the common questions related to the Appian mobile app.

Table of Contents:

Mobile Application

What versions of the Appian mobile app are supported?

The Product Release History shows the supported versions for the Appian mobile app.

How do I enable diagnostic logging for the Appian mobile app?

KB-1754 details how to enable diagnostic logging for the Appian mobile app.

Does my mobile app version need to match my Appian version?

As mentioned in the Mobile Device documentation, the latest version of the Appian mobile app is always backward-compatible with previous Appian versions. However, the Appian version cannot be more than two versions higher than the mobile app.

For example, the mobile app can be on version 19.3 with Appian 18.3, or the mobile app can be on version 19.1 with Appian 19.3. However, the mobile app cannot be on version 18.4 with Appian 19.3.

How often is the Appian mobile app updated?

A new major version of the Appian mobile app is released at least once a quarter.

I noticed clicking task links while on Mobile opens the task in the mobile browser, rather than the app. How can I open the task links in the app?

In Appian 19.2 and above, Admins can enable link redirection for mobile users through the Mobile section of the Admin console. Once enabled, clicking links on Mobile devices will prompt users to open it in the Mobile App. This feature requires Mobile App version 19.2 or above.

Appian Mobile version 19.2 and above also supports Universal Links on iOS. This feature is available for all customers with Appian Cloud environments that use the Appian for Mobile Devices iOS application from the App Store.

Why do I see "session timeout" notifications and need to log in with SSO every time I close Appian iOS, but not on Appian Android?

This behavior is expected as there are key differences between how iOS and Android operating systems reestablish sessions for their respective applications.

Starting in Appian 22.3, for SAML Authentication, Appian can issue Remember Me tokens to iOS devices. This can prevent "Session Timeout" notifications. For Appian versions 22.2 and earlier, it is expected that users will always see the "session timeout" screen when relaunching the app (unless the "sign out" button is explicitly clicked before this).

The session timeout screen does not exist on Appian Android, since on Android a standalone browser is able to automatically open to establish and store a new session. Android users will stay logged in when closing and opening the application, unless the session expires as determined by the IdP.

When logging in, I get a "Could not connect to server: The server's security certificate is not trusted" error, but my Android device trusts my site's root certificate and uses a valid certificate chain.

The site's intermediate certificate is not trusted by the Android device. Android requires both the root certificate and the intermediate certificates to be trusted in order to access a site.

I noticed users are redirected to User Start Pages instead of a specific link when performing IdP-initiated login. Is this expected?

Appian does not support IdP-initiated login on the Mobile App. As such, the "InResponseTo" SAML attribute is not supported with Mobile Application sign-in.

I noticed that I sometimes do not receive push notifications. Is this expected?

Push notification delivery is not guaranteed for the Appian mobile application, as Appian relies upon Apple (iOS) and Google (Android) infrastructure to deliver notifications and they do not have guaranteed delivery.

Mobile Branding Process

How can I create a custom branded mobile application?

Forum users can use the Mobile Branding site to create custom branded mobile applications. Please review the Custom Mobile Application documentation for more details.

Can I request an Appian app version other than the latest version through the Mobile Branding site?

No, Appian does not support providing older application versions through the Mobile Branding site.

Apple is requesting screenshots of my Custom Branded Build prior to upload to the Apple store. Can Appian provide these?

No, customers are able to acquire these screenshots by installing the custom branded application on a device and taking screenshots prior to upload.

I would only like some members of my organization to receive emails about a requested Custom Branded Build. How can I change who receives these emails?

When requesting a build, select the "Customize Email Notification Recipients" checkbox and enter only the members who should receive emails for this process.

Can Appian provide the stock iOS IPA and Android APK files for the mobile application?

Yes, the stock iOS IPA and Android APK can be downloaded directly from the Mobile Branding site using the "Request Stock Build Configurations" link. This link is only available if a set of stock builds has not already been requested.

My mobile application fails to install with "Unable to install <application name>. Please try again later"
This is often seen when the signing tool was not run after receiving a custom branded build. Confirm the tool ran successfully with no issues. If it was successful and the error is still being reported, open a support case for further investigation.

I received an email indicating that my mobile assets are expiring soon. What happens when they expire?

Appian will alert customers one month before mobile assets expire, and continue to do so until they are updated. If the signing certificate or provisioning profile expire, the following will happen based on the app type:

Adhoc or Enterprise app: The mobile app will cease to work two days after mobile assets expire.
App Store app: The mobile app will continue to work with expired assets. However, a new app version cannot be requested until the expired mobile assets are updated.

Provisioning Tool

Do I need to download the latest provisioning tool version prior to each run?

No, the provisioning tool automatically updates itself to the latest version every time it is run.

My Provisioning Profile says "Status: Invalid Account Type", but I'm able to generate my provisioning assets successfully. Is this an issue?

Appian pulls the status as it appears in the Apple Developer site. Appian recommends checking your Apple Developer Site for any notifications regarding your account status. For any issues regarding this, please contact Apple Support. This status will not impact the Mobile Provisioning Process.

When selecting a signing certificate, the provisioning tool says my certificate has never been sent to Appian. How can I fix this?

Review KB-2147 for more details on the cause and action steps to resolve the issue.

Affected Versions

This article applies to all versions of the Appian Mobile App.

Last Reviewed: November 2021

Tags: mobile branding, FAQ, Mobile

KB-2016 Mobile FAQ

Maggie Deppe-Walker — Tue, 23 May 2023 23:53:20 GMT

Revision 30 posted to Appian Knowledge Base by Maggie Deppe-Walker on 5/23/2023 11:53:20 PM

The purpose of this article is to provide answers to some of the common questions related to the Appian mobile app.

Table of Contents:

Mobile Application
Mobile Branding Process
Provisioning Tool

Mobile Application

What versions of the Appian mobile app are supported?

The Product Release History shows the supported versions for the Appian mobile app.

How do I enable diagnostic logging for the Appian mobile app?

KB-1754 details how to enable diagnostic logging for the Appian mobile app.

Does my mobile app version need to match my Appian version?

For example, the mobile app can be on version 19.3 with Appian 18.3, or the mobile app can be on version 19.1 with Appian 19.3. However, the mobile app cannot be on version 18.4 with Appian 19.3.

How often is the Appian mobile app updated?

A new major version of the Appian mobile app is released at least once a quarter.

I noticed clicking task links while on Mobile opens the task in the mobile browser, rather than the app. How can I open the task links in the app?

Why do I see "session timeout" notifications and need to log in with SSO every time I close Appian iOS, but not on Appian Android?

This behavior is expected as there are key differences between how iOS and Android operating systems reestablish sessions for their respective applications.

In iOS, users will always be presented with a "session timeout" screen because when using SAML authentication, the Appian server cannot issue a "Remember Me" cookie. This differes from Appian authentication where the cookie can be stored. Hence, when relaunching the application, it is necessary to open a browser to the SSO IdP page in order to reestablish an Appian session. iOS does not provide the ability to automatically open the browser without the user's explicit consent, so the "session timeout" screen is shown to provide context as to why users are redirected to a prompt authorizing Appian to sign in. It is expected that users will always see the "session timeout" screen when relaunching the app (unless the "sign out" button is explicitly clicked before this).