If a user can see subsites via a web browser, but not through the Access mobile app, they are experiencing an issue with SharePoint permissions. To be able to browse subsites (not separate site collections) via web services, the user needs to have Browse Directories rights. By default, this right is only in the Contribute and higher permission levels. The Read permission level does not have it. This permission isn’t needed to view subsites via a web browser, but is required to enumerate subsites via web services.

 

To grant your user(s) or group(s) the necessary permissions, do one of the following:

Give your user/group a higher permissions level

1. Login to your SharePoint site as an administrator.
2. Click on Site Actions and select Site Settings.
3. Click on Advanced Permissions.
4. Select the checkboxes for the desired user(s) and/or group(s) and click on Actions.
5. Select Edit User Permissions.
6. Select a greater permission level than Read (e.g. Contribute).

 

Grant “Browse Directories” rights to this user/groups’s current permission level

1. Login to your SharePoint site as an administrator.
2. Click on Site Actions and select Site Settings.
3. Click on Settings and select Permission Levels.
4. Click on the desired permission level (e.g. Read).
5. From the list of rights, check Browse Directories and save.

Note: By doing this you are altering the whole permission level and this will reflect on all users and groups that are currently assigned that level.

 

Create a new permission level and give the desired users and groups the new permission level

1. Login to your SharePoint site as an administrator.
2. Click on Site Actions and select Site Settings.
3. Select Permission Levels.
4. You can either make a copy of an existing permission level and edit that or you can create an entirely new level.

Making a copy of an existing permission level

1. Open the permission level you wish to copy.
2. Press the Copy Permission Level button at the bottom.
3. Enter a Name and Description for the new permission level.
4. Select the Browse Directories right.
5. Press Create.

Create a new permissions level

1. Press Add a Permission Level.
2. Enter a Name and write a description for your permission level.
3. Select all the desired rights, plus the Browse Directories right.
4. Press Create.
5. Assign the new permission level to all desired users and/or groups.