Mobile = field service, sales reps in customer meetings, service agents in remote locations.
Native Salesforce Mobile App:
- Out-of-the-box for any org. No build.
- Renders Lightning pages with Phone form factor variations.
- Compact Layouts for highlight panels.
- Offline limited (Briefcase feature for some objects).
Field Service Mobile App:
- Specialised for field technicians.
- Rich offline: download work orders, sync when online.
- Map navigation, signature capture, photo upload.
Custom mobile apps via Mobile SDK:
- React Native, Swift, Kotlin via Mobile SDK.
- Authentication via OAuth Connected App.
- Offline-first design where needed.
- For specific use cases beyond what Salesforce Mobile offers.
Architectural decisions:
- Use Salesforce Mobile by default — free, automatic.
- Field Service Mobile for technicians.
- Custom Mobile SDK for specific UX requirements.
- Hybrid web app (Heroku-hosted) for cross-org scenarios.
Test on real devices. What works on desktop fails on mobile.