App Gallery Updates

Announcements
#1

The AppSheet ‘App Gallery’ is where users can access apps available to them for use, as well as the apps they have created. It is available via the menu of most AppSheet apps, and is the default application when opening the Android or iOS AppSheet app.

An updated version of the App Gallery will start rolling out on Monday, March 8 - @macastan and I would like to hear if you have any initial thoughts. Do you use the current App Gallery? Are these updates going to be helpful for your app users?

No changes are being made to the menu of any apps you’ve created - the ‘App Gallery’ link that exists today in most apps is remaining the same.

Preview of the updated App Gallery

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The app has been updated to include the following views, which are intended to help app users and creators access the apps they need in as few steps as possible. A notable update is the inclusion of the ‘Recent’ view, which helps order apps by most recently used.

What’s visible to users if they open the App Gallery:
‘Recent’ (Default View)

  • Apps I’ve used recently
  • Sorted by last used

‘Shared with me’

  • Apps created by someone else, but shared with me
  • Sorted by app name

’Created by me’

  • Apps I’ve created
  • Sorted by app name
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Can't create shortcuts with ios 14.4
#2

thanks Peter.
On my own case, we deploy app to the end user by white labelling the app, which is making the App Gallery hidden. The problem with us to present the App Gallery to the user was they see and access to Public App, which gave them confusion and we are quested what it is. To avoid, we made a rule to change to white-label app and then hide Gallery from public.

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#3

Thanks Koichi, good to know. For what it’s worth, this update will be removing the list of ‘Public Sample Apps’ from the app gallery. Perhaps that makes it more relevant for some of your users.

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#4

Hi I never use the App gallery.

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#5

Hey @Lynn, hope you’re well. Do you and your users make sure to create bookmarks/shortcuts to your apps? Or maybe create your own launcher app?

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#6

Hi @Peter
We just have shortcuts on our phones to the apps we use.

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#7

Hi @Peter
We actually tell our users:

  1. Install AppSheet App
  2. Log in with your Account
  3. Go to “Shared Apps”
  4. Search for the App you need
  5. Add a shortcut

You say that the App Gallery will now open the Recent Apps.
Are these the recent Apps used on this Device, or used by this USEREMAIL?

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#8

By and large, most clients I work with wish we could remove the app gallery all together.

  • In fact it’s a pain-point for clients

It makes sense for someone like me to see that, but for someone who’s just using a piece of software they’ve hired me to develop - that becomes a sore spot since we can’t remove it.

The problem really lies in the following:

What happens when a general user clicks on that?

  • I’m talking about employee X, who’s only using the app because it’s part of his job.
    • Now we’ve got to 10-30 min trying to get that user back on the normal app.

All of my clients would greatly appreciate the ability to hide the app gallery in the app.

  • It’s their view point that the app gallery is a marketing ploy - designed to get people curious about “hey what’s all this other stuff” and only serves as a distraction for users.
    • Coupled with the fact that we can’t remove it… leads people to believe it’s forced-marketing inside something that they’re paying for.

I can tell you, expanding that from 1 un-removable item to 3… is not going to sit well.

17 Likes
#9

Many of my clients feel the same way, and I don’t blame them. I agree, it is forced marketing, and it is confusing to employees who just have to use the app for their job.

I’m glad to see new updates to the App Gallery, but please do not expand from 1 to 3 non-removable menu items!

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#10

I agree with @MultiTech_Visions and @GreenFlux, in my experience new app users tend to behave almost like children, if they see a button in an app they have commissioned they will press it, and in the case of the app gallery, they will go down that rabit hole, eventually asking the infamous question after you tell 'em to ignore that button:

Why don’t you remove it then?

8 Likes
#11

Also agreed 100% with @MultiTech_Visions and @GreenFlux. The amount of times I have to say “Install the Appsheet App then DO NOT TOUCH IT. DO NOT GO INTO IT. DO NOT LOGIN. HIDE IT IF YOU CAN” because they end up down that rabbit hole. Sometimes I have to get them to uninstall everything and start again. My “record time” is 1 hour 25mins on the phone just to get an app installed on someone’s phone.

Anyway, rant over. @Peter, if you’d like to pass this on to whoever does the UX. The reason why I want to remove stuff like this is beacuse it makes it easier for our clients to use. I will shortly have my first client ever that uses 2 apps, and that is just because your licencing model forces me to do it that way. So there is almost never a reason for them to go hunting around looking for other Apps.

If the UX are not convinced. Maybe I could direct some 60+ year olds their way and see if they can talk them through installing the App on a 8 year old iphone via telephone only.

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#12

I go with this completely and every single person who has the same view. I really would appreciate appsheet listening to this.

After all the pains in conceiving and developing the app , it feels like some free social app. It lacks the professionalism - be it from the management , employee or consumers perspective.

A business app should look like a business app. The White label option I think should be available for all levels and not just publisher level.

6 Likes
#13

Wow, I have to jump on the train here…
Super confusing for most users. But I think that’s built in with Appsheet. I think the root cause is that Appsheet thinks that ever app user can and should develop apps, so Appsheet is marketing to every user to go build an app…

That’s the problem.

There are orgs that truly want everyone to take a crack at democratized citizen development. Then there are orgs that want centralized development.

We white label to get around this as well…

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#14

Might be they need to find some other avenue. This doesnt quiet seem a best way, from the app developers view at least.

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#15

:laughing:

I also agree with having an option to hide the app gallery.

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#16

Hey Matt, genuinely appreciate the feedback, this is important for us all to understand.

We agree that we want to limit the possible navigation ways for users to navigate away from apps they need to be using - that’s the goal with this update.

The ‘unremovable’ App Gallery link in most apps is remaining the same, no additional links are being added.

What’s changing is what’s available to the user in the App Gallery if they navigate there - instead of focusing on seeing ‘Public Apps’ or Apps they’ve created, the apps they’ve recently used or are available to them are prioritized.

Separately, I know the installation process is difficult - working on that as well as a separate effort, appreciate hearing the feedback, thank you!

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#17

Very helpful feedback Rafeal, thank you - to confirm, the goal with this update is to provide those new users a much easier way to quickly navigate back to the apps relevant to them if they ‘click that button’ (App Gallery).

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#18

Thanks Grant - to clarify, the goal is to make it easier for app users to stay focused just on the apps they use frequently or are available to them. This update will remove some of the distractions of encouraging the user to also become a creator. (No new menu links are being added, and the app gallery will only display apps the user should be using).

3 Likes
#19

Simon, I appreciate the rant :slight_smile: This is all super helpful to understand, and is exactly the types of the problems we’re trying to chip away at with these updates. To clarify, no new ‘hard’ menu items are being added to any apps.

The main goal with this update is to make the content of the App Gallery (if the user navigates there) much more relevant to that user, so they can quickly get back to the apps important to them. It’s removing the distractions of showing sample apps, or encouraging them to become a creator.

A separate effort will work on addressing the cumbersome shortcut installation process - but ideally, the App Gallery can also start serving as a better catalog of apps the user needs to use on a regular basis.

3 Likes
#20

No matter what Peter, You really would need to get the avenues of your marketing separated from the apps. No businesses small or big would want their app to look unprofessional, built quick and now bundled with a variety of apps. There’s a lot of thought that go into each app, the understanding of the business processes and more, NO CODE Platform is the future but at the same time should look serious. Having WHITE LABEL only at a certain level of subscription I feel itself is the biggest flaw.

Its not wise to look the users of a business users as your prospects. They are available everywhere else. You need to target them elsewhere.

5 Likes

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