UI Technologies

SAP Mobile Start

SAP Mobile Start is SAP's native mobile entry-point app for iOS, iPadOS and Android that gives users access to SAP Fiori apps, to-dos and notifications from SAP Build Work Zone or SAP Start sites on SAP BTP. In May 2026 SAP Mobile Start evolved into the Joule Work mobile app, which adds Joule conversations.

Quick facts

Type: Native mobile app (entry point)
Layer: Entry point & experience
Current name: Joule Work mobile app (since release 3.0.0, May 2026)
Content from: SAP Build Work Zone (standard or advanced) or SAP Start sites
Tasks from: SAP Task Center and the My Situations - Extended app
Platforms: iOS, iPadOS, Android, watchOS, Wear OS, visionOS
Applies to: SAP S/4HANA 1809 or later, Private Edition, Public Edition 2108 or later, via SAP BTP

Layer: Entry point & experienceWhere it sits ▾

Layer: Entry point & experience

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How does SAP Mobile Start work?

SAP Mobile Start does not connect to SAP S/4HANA directly. It sits on top of a site on SAP BTP:

An administrator subscribes to SAP Build Work Zone or SAP Start and builds a site that federates SAP S/4HANA content, such as business roles and their apps.
The administrator enables the mobile app in the site settings.
A user registers the app by scanning a QR code from the settings of the personal site.
The app shows the user's apps, to-dos from SAP Task Center, situations and notifications, and opens apps as web content.

Its strengths follow from this design: one native start screen across SAP solutions, push notifications and widgets, with no app-specific mobile development. SAP Mobile Start is therefore a native front door to SAP BTP sites, not a container that renders one launchpad URL.

What changed when SAP Mobile Start became the Joule Work mobile app?

With release 3.0.0 in May 2026, SAP renamed SAP Mobile Start to the Joule Work mobile app, with a new icon and a refreshed experience. The release added conversations with Joule, dynamic workspaces called spaces, and voice and multimodal input.

The foundation did not change: the app still draws on SAP Build Work Zone or SAP Start. SAP also states that the separate SAP Build Work Zone, advanced edition mobile app is in maintenance mode and recommends the Joule Work mobile app instead. Older project documents will keep using the old name, so SAP Mobile Start and the Joule Work mobile app should be read as the same product.

What does SAP Mobile Start need?

Area	Prerequisite
SAP BTP	Tenant and subscription to SAP Build Work Zone, standard or advanced edition, or SAP Start with the foundation plan
Identity	SAP Cloud Identity Services – Identity Authentication recommended, directly or as a proxy to a corporate identity provider
SAP S/4HANA and Private Edition	Cloud Connector with principal propagation; embedded front-end server on AS ABAP 7.54 SP06; application content of release 1809 or later
SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition	Application content of release 2108 or later
SAP Mobile Services	Included in the SAP Build Work Zone subscription

A practical decision criterion: if an organization already runs SAP Build Work Zone, SAP Mobile Start adds a native app at little extra effort. If it runs only an on-premise launchpad, the app brings a new SAP BTP dependency. The real prerequisite of SAP Mobile Start is a working SAP BTP site, not the app itself.

Where does SAP Mobile Start stop?

Online web content. Apps open as web pages; SAP's documentation does not describe offline use of SAP Fiori apps launched from SAP Mobile Start.
SAP S/4HANA back ends. The documented content prerequisites name SAP S/4HANA and SAP S/4HANA Cloud releases, not SAP ERP launchpads.
No documented plugin bridge. SAP's documentation does not describe a way to give launched web apps the native plugins that the former SAP Fiori Client offered.
Site design decides content. What users see depends on roles, spaces and federation in the SAP BTP site.

These limits follow from the design: SAP Mobile Start optimizes access and notifications, while offline or device-heavy scenarios need custom mobile apps.

Why are apps, to-dos or notifications missing in SAP Mobile Start?

No apps. Check site roles and content federation before suspecting the app.
No To-Dos tab. SAP Task Center must be set up, the users' roles assigned to the SAP Task Center tile, and the To-Dos tile added to a group. Signing out and back in resets the app.
No situations. Only the latest My Situations - Extended app is supported.
No push notifications. Device notifications and the Mobile Notifications setting in the personal site must be enabled; the identity provider's subject name identifier must be set to E-Mail.

Most SAP Mobile Start problems are site or identity configuration problems that show up on the phone.

SAP Mobile Start vs. SAP Fiori Client: what is the difference?

	SAP Mobile Start (Joule Work mobile app)	SAP Fiori Client
What it is	Native entry-point app with start screen, to-dos, notifications and Joule	Hybrid container around one launchpad web page
Content source	SAP Build Work Zone or SAP Start sites on SAP BTP	One SAP Fiori Launchpad URL
Back ends	SAP S/4HANA 1809 or later, SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2108 or later	Any reachable launchpad, including SAP ERP
Status	Current	Retired

SAP Mobile Start replaced the container approach of SAP Fiori Client with a native app fed by SAP BTP sites.

FAQ

Is SAP Mobile Start the same as the Joule Work mobile app?

Yes. With release 3.0.0 in May 2026, SAP Mobile Start evolved into the Joule Work mobile app. SAP documentation describes Joule Work as the app formerly known as SAP Mobile Start. It keeps access to apps and to-dos and adds Joule conversations, spaces and voice input.

Does SAP Mobile Start need SAP Build Work Zone?

Yes, in practice. SAP Mobile Start requires an SAP BTP subscription to SAP Build Work Zone, standard or advanced edition, or SAP Start with the foundation plan of SAP Build Work Zone, standard edition. SAP Mobile Services is included in that subscription, so no separate mobile subscription is needed.

Can SAP Mobile Start replace the SAP Fiori Client?

For online access to SAP S/4HANA apps, tasks and notifications, yes. SAP's documentation for SAP Mobile Start does not cover offline work, SAP ERP launchpads or the native plugins that custom apps used inside SAP Fiori Client. Those scenarios need a browser or a custom mobile app.

Where do approvals appear in SAP Mobile Start?

Approvals and other workflow tasks appear in the To-Dos area, which reads tasks from SAP Task Center. Situations from the My Situations - Extended app appear there as well. SAP Task Center must be set up and assigned to users first, and the content and actions of each task type depend on what the back end exposes to SAP Task Center.

Sources

Applies to: SAP S/4HANA on-premise · SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition · SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition · SAP BTP
Last reviewed: 2026-11-08

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