Microsoft's recent improvements to Power BI include URL parameters for paginated reports, changes to summarized data export behavior, and new settings to tackle issues related to capacity. The desktop version of the data analytics service also received a host of improvements last month.
Today, the public preview of a new look for Power BI Mobile has been made available. This is primarily intended to make interaction with content quicker and easier for customers on the go. For this reason, a new home page, new navigation bars, and the ability to set your home page theme based upon your organization's branding have been introduced.
Detailing a bit upon each of these, organization branding on the home page now appears in the same way that it does on the desktop version of the service. In other words, custom branding, as defined by Power BI admins in the service, will automatically show up in the mobile app as well.
Furthermore, the home page will provide two tabs - namely, 'Quick Access' and 'Activity'. For now, only the former will be displayed, showcasing your most commonly used items, along with metadata for the associated content. This section will be further sub-divided into two sections, 'Frequents' and 'Recents', with items ordered by most viewed and most recently viewed respectively. With regards to the Activity tab, a feed of events will help users stay up to date on latest happenings relevant to them. More details on this feature will be shared when it is released.
Finally, in-app navigation has been revamped, making it easier to explore the app. More specifically, the "Hamburger" menu in the top-left corner is being replaced with a navigation bar at the bottom, helping efficiently switch between pages. Meanwhile, the top bar will now host a notification and a search icon, with app settings and other features available by clicking on user avatar. Some of the new navigation capabilities can be viewed in the gif below.
If you're interested in trying out the new look, you can opt-in through the introduction banner displayed when you open the app. Alternatively, you can also get the new features by joining the preview through the side panel or in-app settings. Since the new look is currently in preview, Microsoft may add new capabilities or adjust the existing ones based upon your feedback.
You can vote on new feature ideas here, and discuss them on the Power BI Mobile forum as well. If you do not currently have the app on your device, you can download the latest version from the App Store for iOS or Play Store for Android devices.
