According to Work Trend Index Special Report, frontline workers account for 80% of the global workforce, but despite their essential role in every industry, these workers have traditionally been underserved by technology. This creates a huge gap between their needs and the solutions available to them. Having the right tools to execute the work is especially critical in automotive, healthcare, and manufacturing in roles such as maintenance, inspection, and communication.  

Power Apps invests a lot into enabling developers to build seamless mobile experiences, and a lot of frontline workers already benefit from the ability to use the custom low-code solutions resting in the palm of their hand. However, there are industries and scenarios where hand-held devices fall short.  

Power Apps available on RealWear devices

We are excited about our long-term partnership between Microsoft and RealWear, producer of Smart Glasses for frontline workers. Microsoft Teams has been available on RealWear for some time already, making communication and learning between colleagues easier than ever.  

Today we’re thrilled to announce the availability of Microsoft Power Apps public preview on RealWear devices and the RealWear Marketplace. The ability to build and deploy custom solutions for frontline professionals on RealWear devices is another step in our vision to empower every individual on the planet.  

We are thrilled to expand our collaboration with Microsoft, utilizing Microsoft Power Apps to create innovative and efficient solutions for frontline workers. Integrating our hands-free, voice-controlled, industrial Smart Glasses with Microsoft’s Power Platform enhances productivity and safety for our users. This integration also ensures real-time data transfer and retrieval from the Microsoft Dataverse, further improving operational efficiency. This partnership reflects our dedication to advancing technology that supports the evolving needs of frontline professionals.

CPO of RealWear, Rama Oruganti

Power Apps availability on RealWear devices will enable our users and frontline workers to use the low-code solutions built with Power Apps on a completely new device that’s built for greater flexibility and mobility and to help boost productivity on the go. With hands-free operation and voice-controlled navigation, applications built with Power Apps and deployed on RealWear devices will empower the employees to achieve more in a simpler, more convenient manner.

RealWear users will be able to download Power Apps from the Realwear Marketplace.

Once downloaded, users will be able to seamlessly navigate their apps through voice control and find the right application for their use. For example, a maintenance inspection worker can simply say “Asset Maintenance” to launch a custom-built inspection application when starting the work on a piece of equipment they are unfamiliar with.

Enabling frontline with the right tools

With Power Apps on RealWear devices, developers can create applications that fully leverage the advanced hardware features of these devices. These include the ability to operate entirely hands-free in hazardous, high-noise environments, and use of additional hardware for example the Thermal Camera module that enables users to identify faults and detect issues, while remaining safe and compliant.

One of the companies who has been using RealWear integration with Power Apps already is Raymond West. They have built solutions for their technicians to help them execute their work in the warehouses.

Training Development and Technology Manager of Raymond West, Adam Wyand, commented on what they are seeing as a result:

At Raymond West, we have integrated Power Apps with our RealWear headsets to accelerate customer support response time and reduce escalations by providing our technicians with access to multimedia resources, workflows, and internal communication channels developed using Power Apps. This solution has been a critical tool for our field technicians who face pressure to resolve customer issues, yet still must walk a fine line in maintaining a safety-first approach while working with high voltage systems and confined spaces.

Adam Wyand, Training Development and Technology Manager, Raymond West

We are excited to see how Power Apps on RealWear devices can empower frontline workers in various industries and scenarios. We encourage you to try out the new features and share your feedback with us. You can also join our community and learn from other developers who are creating innovative solutions with Power Apps. Together, we can transform the way we work and create value for our customers.

Learn more

For more information on Microsoft Power Apps: Microsoft Power Apps documentation – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn

More information on Microsoft Power Apps for RealWear:  www.realwear.com/partner/microsoft-power-apps

Developer Documentation: https://developer.realwear.com/docs/Basics/environments/Powerapps_1

User Documentation: https://support.realwear.com/knowledge/microsoft-powerapps

The post Through the looking glass: Power Apps and RealWear appeared first on Microsoft Power Platform Blog.

For example, if the source data is the daily schedule of an HVAC technician, and the preset question is “When is my next appointment?” the control will always show the time at which the next appointment starts. As the technician goes through their day and appointments get closed, the control will automatically update itself to reflect the time of the next appointment.
Makers can access this new preview control from the studio as shown below and can then drop it onto their canvas app.
Insert > Modern > Copilot answer (preview) OR Insert > Classic > Copilot answer (preview)

Once the maker adds the control to the canvas app, they need to bind it to a data source (we currently support Dataverse only) and then put in the question in the properties pane as shown. The maker can select other control properties and set them as applicable.

Once the properties are defined, the app can be published, and the end user can press the button as shown and the control will generate the response.

Users have the option to regenerate the response and provide feedback on the quality of the response.

This feature will be available in the latest version of Power Apps.

Learn more:

More information on Copilot answer: 

Use Copilot answer control for canvas apps (preview)

Copilot answer modern control in Power Apps (preview)

Manage feature settings.

For more information on Microsoft Power Apps:

Microsoft Power Apps documentation – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn

The post Introducing new copilot answer control (Public Preview) appeared first on Microsoft Power Platform Blog.

This will allow you to configure Power Apps running on iOS 14 or higher devices to be more easily and securely shared by employees. Employees can sign-in once and get a single sign-on (SSO) to all apps that support this feature, giving them faster access to information. When they’re finished with their shifts or task, they can sign out of the device through any SDM supported apps, which will also sign them out of all apps supporting this feature, and the device is immediately ready for use by the next employee with no access to previous user’s data.

The post Announcing General Availability for Shared Device Mode for Power Apps on iOS appeared first on Microsoft Power Platform Blog.

Shared Device Mode

Microsoft’s Shared Device Mode (SDM) allows frontline workers to sign in or out of Power Apps and other Microsoft products in a single step, providing convenience, efficiency, and security for workers who frequently hand off shared devices. (e.g. on shift change).  

This feature is particularly useful for industries like retail, healthcare and manufacturing where multiple users share devices, often within a shift with tight time constraints. When Power Apps users have finished with their shift or task, they can sign out once and they will be immediately signed out of all supported apps and the device will be ready for the next employee to use. The simplicity of this flow improves frontline workers’ experience and operational efficiency. This feature is available beginning with the 3.23052.18 version of Power Apps. 

Intune Application Protection Policies

When used with Intune’s Application Protection Policies, administrators can provide additional data protection so that other parts of the device do not leave data behind. User needs to be on 6.2304.2829 or later version of Microsoft Authenticator app for Intune’s Application Protection Policies to take effect.

Learn more

More information on Shared Device Mode:  

Shared device mode overview – Microsoft Entra | Microsoft Learn  

Shared device mode for Android devices – Microsoft Entra | Microsoft Learn 

For more information on Microsoft Power Apps: 

Microsoft Power Apps documentation – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn 

The post Announcing General Availability for Shared Device Mode for Power Apps on Android appeared first on Microsoft Power Platform Blog.