How does the app work offline?
Our app architecture is designed with the goal of striking a balance; you need to be able to use features when you're in a spot with bad signal without storing too much amount of data on your phone.
Information you can view while offline
When you first log into the app, you will need a connection. This is because the app will check the username and password against the user's credentials on the server. After logging in, the app will download the following information:
- Scheduled shifts, inspections, and work orders
- Users assigned to those events
- Lists of users and accounts
- Checklists and tasks
- The list of issues (but not all the attached photos and details)
- The list of supply requests (but not the individual items and quantities requested)
- Supplies and associated location supply lists
Actions you can take while offline
With the data that is synced to the phone, there are many actions you can take without requiring signal. Your actions are stored on your phone until you connect to the network again:
You can check in and check out of a location. If there's no signal, your device may not provide your geolocation, but it will still record the clock-in and clock-out times. You will see this icon in the time sheet as an indicator that the data was taken while offline:
- You can scan a barcode scan point.
- You can create an issue and attach photos and videos.
- You can perform an inspection, recording notes and photos and videos.
When any of these actions is performed offline, you will see a banner at the top of the "Home" screen saying "You have items to sync". When you reconnect to your WiFi or cell network, the app will attempt to sync these items.
Information that requires a data connection
There is some information that we do not download for offline use; that is because downloading all of this data at once would take up a lot of space on the phone and use a lot of carrier data. To view these items, you need to have a data connection:
- Viewing inspections with their notes, photos, and videos (which you demonstrate in the screenshots you sent).
- Viewing issue details with their photos and videos.
- Viewing supply request details.
- Creating new supply requests.