Configure custom mobile app navigation

Overview

The Custom navigation for Mobile feature lets administrators configure the full navigation experience for the Simpplr iOS and Android apps from a single interface. You can set the same navigation for all user segments or configure it differently per segment.

Navigation is configured from: Manage → Navigation → Mobile tab.

For Navigation Managers and App Managers. Applies to the iOS and Android native mobile and tablet apps.

How to customize mobile navigation from web admin panel

Step 1: Open mobile navigation settings

• In the left sidebar, click the Manage icon and scroll to the Features section.

• Click Navigation.

• On the Navigation page, click the Mobile tab.

Step 2: Select a navigation mode

Page elements

At the top of the Navigation page you will see:

• All segments: Displays the current segment scope. A tooltip on the question mark icon reads: "Your organization is using segments and configured with all segments receiving the same navigation. Any changes made here apply to all segments." This means navigation can be configured differently per audience segment.

• Desktop and Mobile tabs: Switch between configuring desktop and web app navigation (Desktop tab) and native mobile app navigation (Mobile tab).

On the Mobile tab, the Mobile navigation settings panel appears with the description: "The navigation you define for mobile will apply to the native mobile and tablet apps (iOS and Android)."

Configuration modes

Three modes are available on the Mobile tab:

1. Recommended: Uses Simpplr's predefined navigation structure. The description reads: "Use our predefined navigation structure. You can preview the navigation on the right." This mode is read-only.

2. Same as desktop: Uses the same configuration as desktop navigation for supported mobile features. Changes made to desktop navigation automatically sync to mobile navigation.

3. Custom: This is fully customizable. The editor reads: "Create a custom navigation structure by adding, removing, or reordering items." Selecting Custom reveals four collapsible sections: Create button, Bottom navigation, Secondary navigation, and More navigation.

Select Custom to proceed with manual configuration to add, remov, or reorder items.

Mobile preview simulator

Click Show preview (top right of the settings panel) to open the mobile phone simulator. The simulator shows:

• A phone frame with status bar.

• Top bar with a search field and notification bell.

• A welcome section showing "Welcome back, [User name]".

• Secondary navigation as a horizontal scroll row of icon tiles (for example: Payroll and Benefits, My Hub, Feed and Communities, News and Updates).

• Bottom navigation bar showing: Home, Feed, Create (+), Messaging (with badge), More.

The preview updates in real time as you make configuration changes.

Step 3: Configure the Create button

The Create button section controls where the plus (+) Create action appears in the mobile app.

• Expand the Create button section.

• Select a placement option:

• Click Done to save, or Cancel to discard.

Step 4: Configure bottom navigation

The bottom navigation is the primary tab bar visible at the bottom of the mobile app.

How the tab bar works

• The bar shows up to 5 items, with More always occupying the last position.

• If the Create button is in the bottom navigation: the bar shows Home, 2 items, Create, and More (at position 4).

• If the Create button is off or in More: the bar shows Home, 3 items, and More (at position 5).

• Items dragged below the More divider line in the editor move into the More overflow menu. Their visibility toggles are automatically disabled.

Default bottom navigation items

Steps

• Expand the Bottom navigation section.

• Use toggle switches to enable or disable items.

• Drag items using the drag handle to reorder them within the section.

• To add a navigation entry, click Add item. In the dialog, select a Type (Content, Site, Site category, Link, or App default) and complete the remaining fields.

• To create a grouped navigation entry, click Add group. Configure the icon, label, and items for the group.

• To remove an item, click the Delete icon. Confirm in the dialog that appears.

• Click Done to save, or Reset section to revert all changes to defaults.

Step 5: Configure secondary navigation

Secondary navigation appears as feature tiles on the home screen, giving users quick access to tools and features available across the organization.

How secondary navigation works

• Shows up to 8 items. If a user has access to 8 or more items, only the first 8 are shown, followed by any additional items added below.

• Items placed below the More divider line move into the More overflow under Secondary navigation overflow.

• Hiding an item above the More divider automatically promotes the first eligible item from below the divider.

Layout options

Default secondary navigation items

Must reads, Recognition, Events, Newsletters, Polls, Questions, Social campaigns, Surveys, Tasks, Document library.

Steps

• Expand the Secondary navigation section.

• Select a layout: Scroll or Grid.

• Use toggle switches to enable or disable items.

• Drag items to reorder. Keep priority items within the first 8 positions to ensure they are visible without opening More.

• Click Add item or Add group to include additional entries.

• Click Done to save, or Reset section to revert to defaults.

Step 6: Configure More navigation

The More navigation section controls everything that appears inside the More overflow page. It is divided into three sub-sections:

Steps

• Expand the More navigation section.

• To add items to Top actions, click Add item or Add group.

• Review the Bottom navigation overflow items and use toggle switches to enable or disable them.

• To create an additional section, click Add section. Configure the section title (Quick links, Discover, Locations, or Custom) and populate it using Add item or Add group.

• To remove an additional section, click the Delete icon and confirm.

• Click Done to save, or Reset section to revert to defaults.

Step 7: Configure per-segment navigation (optional)

The All segments label at the top of the Navigation page shows the current segment scope. By default, one navigation configuration applies to all segments.

To configure navigation differently for individual segments:

• Use the segment selector at the top of the page to switch to a specific segment.

• Make the required configuration changes for that segment.

• Publish changes for that segment. Repeat for other segments as needed

Step 8: Publish

The editor works in draft mode. Changes are not live until published.

• Review all navigation configurations and verify the layout in the mobile preview panel.

• Click Publish for all segments (bottom right, green button) to apply changes.

How to Add item and Add group

Add item and Add group are available in the Bottom navigation, Secondary navigation, and More navigation sections. Use Add item to insert a single navigation entry and Add group to create a grouped entry with a parent label containing multiple items underneath.

Add item

1. Expand the Bottom,Secondary or More navigation section.

2. Click Add item.

3. In the dialog, select a Type from the dropdown. Options are: Content, Site, Site category, Link, and App default.

4. If you select App default, choose from: Forms, Must reads, Tasks, Recognition, Social campaigns, Surveys, Document library, or Alerts.

5. Complete any remaining fields based on the type selected.

6. Click Done to save the item.

The item appears in the bottom navigation list. Drag it above the More divider to ensure it shows in the tab bar rather than overflow.

Add group

1. Expand the Bottom navigation section.

2. Click Add group.

3. Select an icon and enter a label for the group.

4. In the Group items section, add items using the same Type and Content dropdowns as Add item.

5. Click Done to save the group.

The group appears as a single entry in the bottom navigation list and can be reordered using the drag handle.

Add additional navigation sections

The More navigation area allows you to organize additional links and actions that appear on the More page in the mobile app.

Within More navigation, you can also configure content by:

• Additional navigation sections — Helps organize related links and actions into separate sections on the More page.

Both areas support:

• Add item — Add a single navigation item.

• Add group — Add a grouped collection of related items under one label and icon.

Controls reference

Troubleshooting

An item does not appear in the bottom navigation bar

• What happened: The item may have been placed below the More divider. Items below this divider are treated as overflow items and appear inside the More menu instead of the bottom navigation bar. Visibility toggles are disabled for overflow items.

• What to do: Move the item above the More divider in the bottom navigation section. Keep the slot limits in mind:

  • With Create enabled in the bottom bar: Home + 2 items + Create

  • Without Create enabled: Home + 3 items

The More item appears in an unexpected position

• What happened:The position of More depends on the placement of the Create button.

  • When Create is enabled in the bottom bar, More appears in position 4.

  • When Create is not enabled in the bottom bar, More appears in position 5.

• What to do: Open the Create button section and verify its current placement. Update the configuration to move More to the required position.

The Home item cannot be moved or disabled

• What happened: Home is a mandatory navigation item identified with a lock icon. It always appears first in the bottom navigation and cannot be removed, disabled, or reordered.

• What to do: No action is required. The Home item is fixed by design.

A secondary navigation item does not appear on the home screen

• What happened: The item may be positioned below the More divider in the Secondary navigation section. Items below the divider appear inside the secondary navigation overflow under More instead of the visible scroll row or grid.

• What to do: Move the item above the More divider in the Secondary navigation section.

If an item above the divider is hidden, the next eligible item below the divider is automatically promoted into the visible area.

The Add section option is not visible for the More page

• What happened: The Add section option is located inside the Additional navigation sections subsection within More navigation, which may be collapsed.

• What to do: Expand the More navigation section in Custom mode and scroll to Additional navigation sections. Click Add section to create a new labeled section.

Navigation changes are not visible after saving

• What happened: Changes are saved as drafts and do not go live until they are published. Selecting Done or using Reset section only saves section-level changes and does not publish them.

• What to do: Click Publish for all segments at the bottom-right corner of the page to make the changes live. Updated navigation appears after users refresh or reopen the mobile app.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What is the difference between Recommended and Custom mode?
Ans: Recommended applies Simpplr's predefined navigation structure and is read-only. Custom mode lets you add, remove, reorder, and configure all navigation sections manually.

Q: Does configuring mobile navigation affect the desktop or web app?
Ans: No. The Mobile tab controls only the iOS and Android native apps. Desktop and web navigation are configured separately under the Desktop tab.

Q: Can I configure navigation differently for different user groups?
Ans: Yes. Use the segment selector at the top of the Navigation page to switch between segments and configure each one independently. If all segments share the same setup, any change you make applies to all of them.

Q: How many items can appear in the bottom navigation bar?
Ans: Up to 5 items, including the mandatory More tab. If the Create button is placed in the bottom bar, you get Home, 2 additional items, Create, and More. If Create is off or in More, you get Home, 3 additional items, and More.

Q: Why is the Home item greyed out and unmovable?
Ans: Home is a locked mandatory item. It always appears first in the bottom navigation bar and cannot be toggled off, removed, or reordered.

Q: What happens to items I drag below the More divider line?
Ans: They move into the More overflow menu and no longer appear in the tab bar or secondary navigation strip. Their visibility toggles are automatically disabled while they are in overflow.

Q: How many items can appear in secondary navigation?
Ans: Up to 8. If a user has access to 8 or more items, the first 8 are shown. Anything beyond 8, or placed below the More divider, moves into the secondary navigation overflow inside the More page.

Q: What is the difference between Bottom navigation overflow and Secondary navigation overflow in the More page?
Ans: Bottom navigation overflow contains items that exceeded the 5-slot limit in the bottom tab bar. Secondary navigation overflow contains items that exceeded the 8-item limit in the secondary navigation strip. Both appear inside the More page and can be toggled on or off independently.

Q: Where does the Create button appear if I set it to More navigation?
Ans: It appears at the top of the More page, under Top actions.

Q: Can I hide the Create button entirely?
Ans: Yes. Set the Create button option to Off and it will not appear anywhere in the mobile app.

Q: I clicked Done but users still see the old navigation. Why?
Ans: Done saves your changes as a draft within that section. Changes only go live when you click Publish for all segments at the bottom right of the page.

Q: Does publishing take effect immediately?
Ans: Yes. Navigation changes apply immediately after publishing. Users see the updated navigation the next time they open or refresh the mobile app.

Q: Can I preview changes before publishing?
Ans: Yes. Click Show preview on the right side of the settings panel to open the mobile phone simulator. It updates in real time as you make changes.

Q: What types of items can I add to navigation sections?
Ans: When using Add item, you can choose from: Content, Site, Site category, Link, and App default (which includes Forms, Must reads, Tasks, Recognition, Social campaigns, Surveys, Document library, and Alerts).

Q: What is Add group used for?
Ans: Add group creates a grouped navigation entry with a parent label and icon, containing multiple items underneath. It is available in Bottom navigation, Secondary navigation, and More navigation.

Q: How do I add a custom section to the More page?
Ans: Expand the More navigation section in Custom mode, scroll to Additional navigation sections, and click Add section. You can title the section Quick links, Discover, Locations, or write a custom label, then populate it with items and groups.

Q: Can I undo a Reset section action?
Ans: No. Reset section immediately reverts that section to its default state. If you have not published yet, switching away without saving will also discard unsaved changes.

Q: Where do branding and theme settings live?
Ans: Branding and theme are managed separately under Manage > Branding. The Navigation settings page covers navigation structure only.