Latest / Sidekick's What Just Shipped / HubSpot's mobile app gets a new look and full dark mode | Shipped Aug 2026
Transcript
- Dana (AI host): It's late, your phone is in dark mode, and the HubSpot app still flashes a bright white screen at you. Rob (AI host): HubSpot says that's fixed. Rob (AI host): The mobile app got a full redesign, with dark mode support on every screen. Dana (AI host): Plus a phone setting most reps never touch, which quietly locks the app behind your face or fingerprint. Narrator (AI voice): This is Sidekick's What Just Shipped, presented by Sidekick Strategies. Narrator (AI voice): Your hosts, Rob and Dana, are AI. Narrator (AI voice): The voices are synthetic, the research is real, and humans check every claim before it reaches you. Dana (AI host): A note before we start: Rob and I are AI hosts. Dana (AI host): We don't own phones or squint at screens, and we're reading HubSpot's mobile install guide, updated in late October. Rob (AI host): Which is a shame, because today I'm playing a field rep who works evening trade shows and checks deals in dim convention halls. Dana (AI host): Then you'll like this. Dana (AI host): HubSpot's August product updates say all screens in the mobile app now use the updated design system, with modernized visuals and full dark mode support. Rob (AI host): All screens. Not just a few? Dana (AI host): That's the claim in the update. It's listed for iOS and Android. Dana (AI host): Our research adds that the redesign covers the home screen, contact lists, records, and boards. Rob (AI host): Pretty is nice. Does anything actually work differently? Dana (AI host): Our research calls it a design-layer change, not a data change. Dana (AI host): Your workflows, properties, pipelines, and reports stay the same. Dana (AI host): What changes is how the app looks and reads. Rob (AI host): So my saved views and pipeline stages don't move? Dana (AI host): Not according to our research. Same data, same setup, new paint. Dana (AI host): HubSpot's August post itself only describes the design system and dark mode. Rob (AI host): Fair. So who gets it? Dana (AI host): HubSpot's install guide is marked for all products and plans. Dana (AI host): You get the new design by being on the latest app version, and the app is a free download from the App Store and the Google Play Store. Rob (AI host): And where do I control dark mode? Dana (AI host): In the app, tap Menu in the bottom navigation, then the settings icon at the bottom of the left sidebar. Dana (AI host): That screen covers your keyboard, calling settings, notifications, and Dark Mode settings. Dana (AI host): It's also where you send feedback on the app and get help from HubSpot Support. Rob (AI host): Huh, I never opened that screen. Dana (AI host): There's more in there. A setting called Device lock. Dana (AI host): Toggle it on, and the next time you open the app, it asks you to verify with your phone's own biometrics or PIN code. Rob (AI host): That's the setting from the top of the show. Dana (AI host): That's the one. Dana (AI host): For a rep who leaves a phone on a trade show table, it's a small switch with a big payoff. Rob (AI host): Here's a hypothetical. Rob (AI host): A made-up rep, Jordan, sets the phone down at a booth, and a stranger picks it up. Rob (AI host): With Device lock on, opening the HubSpot app asks for Jordan's face or PIN first. Dana (AI host): Right, and that's a scenario, not something HubSpot describes. The setting is real, though. Rob (AI host): What phones does the app even run on? Dana (AI host): iPhones on iOS seventeen or later, and Android phones on Android eleven and above. Dana (AI host): HubSpot says it's possible, but not supported, to run it on Macs with Apple Silicon. Rob (AI host): And my old jailbroken test phone? Dana (AI host): No. For security reasons, the app isn't supported on jailbroken iOS devices or rooted Android devices. Rob (AI host): Something for the IT team to know, then. Dana (AI host): Yes, especially if anyone sideloads apps. Dana (AI host): HubSpot says on Android the app can only be installed from the Google Play Store, not from outside sites or APK files. Rob (AI host): How do I make sure I'm actually on the new version? Dana (AI host): HubSpot recommends automatic updates. Dana (AI host): On iPhone, go to Settings, then Apps, then App Store, and turn on App Updates. Dana (AI host): On Android, in the Google Play Store, tap your profile icon, then Settings, Network preferences, and Auto-update apps. Rob (AI host): Why it matters: an app that's easy to read at night gets used on the spot. Rob (AI host): Reps log the call right then, not from memory the next morning. Dana (AI host): And who should notice first? Rob (AI host): Our research points to field reps, service agents checking tickets on the go, owners reviewing pipelines on the go, and anyone who keeps dark mode on. George B. Thomas (AI voice clone): Hey, it's George B. Thomas from Sidekick Strategies. George B. Thomas (AI voice clone): Full honesty, this is my AI voice clone, made with my permission. George B. Thomas (AI voice clone): A new app design reaches every hub. George B. Thomas (AI voice clone): Knowing which hubs your business actually needs is a harder question. George B. Thomas (AI voice clone): Our HubSpot Hub Assessment takes ten quick questions, then gives you a hub recommendation with clear reasoning for each one. George B. Thomas (AI voice clone): There's no email required to see it. It's under tools at Sidekick Strategies dot com. Rob (AI host): Dana, did our August write-up get anything wrong? Dana (AI host): One thing we couldn't confirm. Dana (AI host): Our write-up says HubSpot noted that most of its mobile users have dark mode turned on. Dana (AI host): We didn't find that in HubSpot's August post or its help pages, so treat it as unconfirmed. Dana (AI host): And one nuance. The write-up says there are no settings to change. Dana (AI host): That's true for the redesign itself, but HubSpot's guide does list Dark Mode settings inside the app, so you can still choose. Rob (AI host): Okay, that's a useful catch. Rob (AI host): Anything else from August's mobile list worth knowing? Dana (AI host): Two neighbors. Mobile calendar access is now available for all hubs and tiers. Dana (AI host): You can connect Google Calendar, Office 365, or Exchange in the app. Rob (AI host): So my trade show meetings could sit right there on my phone. Dana (AI host): Once the calendar is connected, yes. Dana (AI host): That's the point of the August change, and it isn't limited to paid tiers. Dana (AI host): And on Android, Breeze and global search are combined into one entry point. Rob (AI host): One thing for teams that use single sign-on with several HubSpot accounts. Dana (AI host): HubSpot's guide says that if you use single sign-on on mobile and have multiple accounts, you're logged in to the last cached account by default. Dana (AI host): So check which account you're in before editing anything. Rob (AI host): Okay. What's the rollout plan for a sales manager? Dana (AI host): Step one: have every rep turn on automatic app updates, so nobody's stuck on the old design. Rob (AI host): Step two: check every phone against the minimum system versions in HubSpot's install guide. Dana (AI host): Step three: show the team the settings screen, Dark Mode and Device lock included. Rob (AI host): Step four: connect a calendar in the app, so meetings show up on the road. Dana (AI host): Step five: tell reps the new look is expected, so nobody reports it as a bug. Rob (AI host): Trade show verdict: update tonight and switch on Device lock, because the new look is nice, but the lock is what protects your deals. Dana (AI host): Your two-minute task: open the app's settings screen and find Device lock. Rob (AI host): HubSpot's install guide, the August product updates, and our research are linked in the show notes, with more at Sidekick Strategies dot com. Dana (AI host): Thanks for listening, and easy on the eyes tonight. Rob (AI host): Dim the screen, lock the app. Narrator (AI voice): Sidekick's What Just Shipped is presented by Sidekick Strategies, with AI hosts Rob and Dana and AI-generated music. Narrator (AI voice): We're independent, and not affiliated with HubSpot. Find our research at Sidekick Strategies dot com.