Mobile Apps FAQ

This article answers questions that our advanced users often ask about the mobile apps for Business Central.

Is there an app for my device?

Probably! Install the Business Central app on your mobile device by downloading the app from the Windows Store, App Store, or Google Play.

Is it the same experience in the apps as in the browser?

No, not exactly. For example, we show only the Home activity group due to the limited screen size on mobile devices. Similarly, the keyboard shortcuts are not available because you mainly use touch rather than a keyboard to navigate on mobile devices.

The following table describes some of the most common differences and limitations that you might experience when using Business Central on mobile devices, compared to the browser.

Concept On tablets On phones Example from the browser
Activity groups Only the Home activity group is shown. Only the Home activity group is shown. Home and Posted Documents on the Sales Order Processor Role Center.
Selecting multiple records in lists Not available. Not available. Ctrl+A or Ctrl+Click on rows in a list in the browser.
Actions in the action bar Only Promoted actions are shown. Only Promoted actions are shown.
FactBoxes Not shown on List pages or Worksheet pages. Not shown on List pages or Worksheet pages. Customer list on the Small Business Role Center.
Advanced filters No column-specific filtering is available. No column-specific filtering is available. On the Customer list page.
Tell Me Not available yet. Not available yet. See Finding Pages and Information with Tell Me.
Role Explorer Not available yet. Not available yet. See Finding Pages with the Role Explorer.
Fields in FastTabs Fields in FastTabs on list pages are not shown. Only the repeater control is shown in the content area of the page. Not available.
Select from full list Not available on lookups. Users are not able to run actions on a lookup page, and they cannot access the full set of records. Not available on lookups. Users are not able to run actions on a lookup page, and they cannot access the full set of records. On the Item Card when selecting the Base Units of Measure.
Search across list columns Partly supported. Search will not include FlowFields. Partly supported. Search will not include FlowFields. See examples on the Customers list page.
Lookups Available. Available, with the difference that advanced and simple lookups behave similarly on the phone. The lookup will not bring up the card, show FactBoxes, or any field groups. See examples on the Customer Card page.
Matrix controls Not available. Not available. See example in G/L Budget.
File download Available. Cannot download multiple files at the same time. Available. Cannot download multiple files at the same time. Trial Balance report in the Print to Excel check box.
Worksheet pages Available. Not available; an error message is displayed. Sales Price Worksheet or Cash Flow Worksheet.
Lists Available. Available, with the difference that these are displayed in a brick layout. Customers or Sales Orders pages.
Indentation in repeater controls Available. Not available. The repeater control will be rendered as a regular flat brick layout. Chart of Accounts and Contacts List pages.
Automatic input focus on first editable field of a page Not available. Not available. Customer Card page.

In the browser, focus will automatically be on the first editable field (such as the Name field), enabling you to change the value right away.

In the tablet and phone apps, this field will not be in focus; instead, you will have to manually select the field first in order to make changes.

Is it the same experience on tables and phones?

Almost, but not quite. See the list in the Is it the same experience in the apps as in the browser? section.

Can I connect the app to our on-premises solution?

Yes, you can! It's a slightly different way to signing in, that's all. For more information, see Using Business Central on-premises?.

See also

Getting Business Central on Your Mobile Device
Install the Business Central App for Microsoft Teams

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