The new look for model driven Power Apps is available now in preview
Today, we’re announcing a public preview of the new model driven app experience and providing an update on new controls coming to canvas apps in the spring timeframe.
Before driving into the details on what the new model driven app experience brings, I want to provide some context about the enhancements and our plans for Power Apps experiences.
Firstly, like many cloud services, usage of Power Apps has grown significantly over the past couple of years. At the same time, to meet the increasing needs in the low code and business applications space, Power Apps experiences have become richer and more advanced. During this period of growth, we’ve heard customer feedback about the default app design, and requests to help make apps more efficient and easier to use. To address these asks we are launching an updated look and feel for model driven Power Apps, and in spring we will be bringing many of the same updated controls to the canvas Power App maker experience.
The new model driven app experience
At the heart of the updates to the model driven app experience is a new look that is based on the Microsoft Fluent design system, already in use across Microsoft in apps like Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and Azure. This new look aligns core concepts, like sharing, with other Microsoft products, making it easier for users to learn and use.
The initial preview is launching with updates to the most heavily used model app experiences. The pages included in this initial launch cover 70% of scenarios in use today and we will be frequently updating the preview over the coming months.
Clearer design, optimized for action
Enhanced definition to the page makes it easier for people to focus on their work
The new model driven app experience, brings the same familiar list and command bar experience that you already see today in Windows and Office.
Enhanced Sharing experience, integrated with Teams
Efficient and secure collaboration on business records is a frequent ask from enterprise customers, and the new model driven app experience now enables a streamline sharing experience that will already be familiar with from Office.
This optimized sharing experience is built on Dataverse security roles, which means organizations are in control of who can share and access business records. Updates are coming to the Teams experience to provide richer in line preview of apps and business records shared through links.
Edit records inline through enhanced grid
Be more efficient with data through the update grid experience, that now supports infinite scroll and inline editing. Inline editing requires an additional configuration step, detailed here. Once enabled for an entity, it allows fast and easy changes to be made direct from the grid view, saving users countless clicks.
Turning on the preview of the new look
App makers can enable the new look on any existing or new model-driven application using the “Try the new look and feel (preview )” app setting. You can find more information in our documentation under upcoming section for model-driven app settings. The new look app setting is rolling out, available to most organizations now and will be visible to rest as part of the next build deployment.
For more details, please see Modern, refreshed look for model-driven apps.
Canvas app update
We are working hard on bringing the same look to Canvas apps, plus many of the same capabilities, such as built in secure sharing of apps. We will be talking more about the Canvas experience over the next couple of months and there will also be a public preview launching in spring.
What’s Next
We have a lot more coming to the preview over the coming months. Such as new theming and dark mode support coming to both model and Canvas apps. We’ll provide updates via the Power Apps blog as new updates to the preview are ready. We will also be talking about new capabilities for end users to opt in and check out the new look themselves (note, today the preview needs to be enabled by a maker or admin)
These changes are driven by customer feedback and so it’s important to keep the conversation going. If you have any questions or feedback about the new model driven app experience, please reach out to us. We would love to hear from you!
FAQ
- Can I enable new look for all model-driven applications?
The new look app setting is available for any model-driven applications running in the cloud. It is recommended to evaluate in a test environment before broader live use. Updates to some page types, like dashboard, will be coming further into the preview. - Can I revert the app to an earlier state after I have enabled modernization?
Yes, this can be done in the same manner as enabling using app settings. You can toggle between the old and new UI through a simple switch. - Will any of the existing applications by default get the new look?
During the preview, the changes will only be seen if the new look app setting is enabled by app makers. - Are the new changes enabled on additional surfaces like Mobile apps and Outlook web app?
The new look is not yet supported on these surfaces, and they will continue to display current app experience. - Does the app designer preview display the new look.
Live preview does not display the new look yet. To see the updated app, you’ll need to publish app and click on play button. - Can I switch to a different theme or enable dark mode?
Switching themes or enabling dark mode is not yet supported (but we’re working hard on it!) - Is the new look available for custom pages or code components?
Not yet, but we are actively working on bringing the new design system support for these areas. - How can I validate and test the new look?
Changes are designed to replace the current UX controls in place. This ensures that the new look has a smaller learning curve and provides us opportunity to incrementally refresh and ship additional controls on a weekly basis. Please review the documentation for the details on the new controls being enabled with opt-in toggle and focus on those for validation. Execute your end user scenarios as you would otherwise with new look. Note that some field controls and grid capabilities are updated, and experience might be little different from earlier one. - Will Dynamics 365 applications support the new look?
Yes, we are working on extending the design across applications based on model driven Power Apps.
