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Building mobile apps

Updated on February 23, 2022

Convert your application into a mobile app that users can install on their mobile devices. You can generate both Android and iOS apps, which helps you meet the needs of a wide array of mobile users.

Note: To keep your software current, rebuild the app after every configuration change.

The Mobile Build Server always builds your apps using the latest Pega Mobile Client version, even if you are using an earlier version of Pega Platform. This way, your app includes the newest security and bug fixes and is compatible with the most recent mobile operating system versions.

Before you begin: Prepare the security components for the installation package:
  1. Open your mobile channel:
    1. In the navigation pane of App Studio, click Channels.
    2. In the Current channel interfaces section, click the tile that represents a mobile channel for your app.
  2. In the mobile preview on the right side of the screen, select the operating system for your app:
    • To generate an iOS app, click the Build iOS app button.
    • To generate an Android app, click the Build Android app button.
    The Build iOS app and Build Android app icons in the mobile preview
    The image shows the highlighted icons in the upper-right corner of the preview pane in the mobile channel
    To keep your software up-to-date, rebuild the app after every configuration change. You can follow the status of your app on the icons next to the operating system buttons:
    Check mark
    The build is up-to-date.
    Refresh icon
    The build does not include the latest changes.
    Clock icon
    The build is in progress.
    Warning icon
    The previous build has failed.
  3. In the Certificate set list, select the certificate set for your app.
    Note: If you want to generate an unsigned xcarchive.zip bundle for iOS that you plan to sign locally later, ensure that you select an unsigned iOS certificate set.
  4. In the Logging level list, select which events appear in the log:
    • To turn off logging, select Silent.
    • To receive logs about serious errors, select Error.
    • To receive logs about events that might have negative consequences, select Warning.
    • To receive logs about run-time events, select Info.
    • To receive logs about all events for debugging, select Debug.
    • To receive logs about all available events, such as localization updates, select Verbose.
  5. For Android apps, if you want to publish the app on the Google Play Store, select the Build Android App Bundle (Google Play) checkbox.
    From August 2021, Google Play Store accepts new apps only in the Android App Bundle format. For more information, see the Android for Developers documentation.
  6. For Android apps, if you want to debug the Android app, select the Enable debugging checkbox.
    Important: Do not enable debugging for production environment apps.
    Note: Mobile users can update Android apps to newer versions only if both versions have the same debug signing information in the signing certificate. When updating a mobile app, ensure that you select the same debugging option for the new version as the option selected for the current version.
  7. Optional: To assign a specific version number to your app, select the Set explicit build version check box, and then enter the exact version and build of the app.
    By default, the first app build is marked as version 0.0.1, and the final number increments by one with every rebuild. By entering an explicit build version, you override this setting.
  8. Click Build app.
Result: After the build process finishes, the panel displays a QR code and a shareable app link that you can use to download your app.
What to do next: Use the Camera app on your mobile device to scan the QR code and download the app, or download the app with the Share this app link.
  • Configuring mobile build server settings

    Ensure that you properly configure your build server settings before you generate an Android or iOS application package for your mobile app. Incorrect or missing build server credentials disable the option to build an app in the mobile channel.

  • Default security settings for mobile apps

    Pega Platform includes default security mechanisms that help you generate secure mobile apps.

  • Preparing mobile apps for signing

    Before you generate an installation package for your Android or iOS app, you must prepare the app for signing by creating a certificate set. With a complete certificate set, you can build the app and ensure that users can install the app on their devices.

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