Temporarily close to suspend access to an app

[Anonymous]

Our team has just completed an exercise using a custom built PowerApp. Now that the exercise is complete I would like to close the app so the team cannot access the app and make changes to the database. I do not want to delete the app because we will be using it again in a couple months time - and it is being used as a base for other similar apps.

So far the solutions are to:

• remove all the users (not ideal: very labour intensive to both remove and then re-add in a couple months) 
• Make a copy of the app and delete the "Live" Version (also not ideal: labour intensive to add users and potential confusion with links/browser favourites in a couple months)
• change the coding within the app to prevent data writing to the database (probably the option I'll go with)

The best case scenario would be the ability to "close" or hide the app so it is not available for users to access.

Any suggestions?

Thanks! 

[HSheild]

I don’t think you can disable an app.

However, you could make your first option a lot easier to manage by putting the users of the app into an Azure AD Security Group and then share / unshare the app with the group instead of individual users.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powerapps/maker/canvas-apps/share-app

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the reply. 

That's a great solution, however, given the structure of our organization I am unable to create or manage O365 Groups and using the existing groups is not viable.

Thanks

[v-yutliu-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous ,

I'm afraid it's not supported to hide or close an app in powerapps currently.

Here are two alternative ways for your reference:

1)Firstly, export this app. Then delete this app. When you want to use it, import this app.

2)make all other people do not have permission to this app.

Firstly, delete all the users except owner in the share manage page.

Then, ask your talent global admin assign all the users except you with the security role that can not read/write this app.

Or you could also create a new environment, import this app in the new environment. Make others all could not read and write this new environment. Delete this app in the original environment.

Best regards,

[Raynok1]

@v-yutliu-msft 

Here is a good business case, this can apply for the whole business for departments that many divisions within it.

We want to reduce the amount of apps listed in the powerapps mobile/web app by creating a master Powerapps that has launch buttons to other powerapps and hide the rest. 

Yes, we can mark one app as hero app but it'll be great to hide the rest. Fantastic option if hide was available.  

[Anonymous]

Hello,

Another suggestion would be to create a new screen with a label saying the app is temporarily disabled, move the screen all the way up to make it the first screen(your landing page) with no buttons to navigate to the other screens. Save and Publish that version. Once you need to enabled again, you can move that screen down, save and publish to have it as before.

[jainvinamra]

A simple hack that worked out for me in such a case is that I set my App.StartScreen to a blank screen with text on it saying "A critical change is being made to the application. Please revisit the application in a while." This easy hack works for me most of the times but there can be a scenario when the user do not refresh the application to the latest version. In such a scenario this solution won't work and in that case no change made to the app would work. So then the only way will be to make a change at DB end to restrict write access to the DB.