
Can a mobile app work without an internet connection? What works offline and what doesn’t
A mobile app can work partially or completely without a connection if the data and functions required for a task are available on the device. A guide can display a page that was opened earlier. A podcast app can play an episode downloaded in advance. An offline-first field tool may even store a completed action locally and synchronize it later.Those are three different technical promises:Cached content: an item previously loaded from the network remains temporarily available on the device.Deliberately saved content: the user chooses an article, audio file or another supported item to keep for later.Offline-first operation: the app performs all or a critical subset of its core functions from local data. If it also accepts changes offline, those changes must be synchronized and any conflicts handled when connectivity returns.Our Offline extension supports the first two approaches for compatible content: keeping previously loaded material available and letting readers save supported items through Favorites.Android’s definition of an offline-first app requires all or a critical subset of its core functions to work without the internet. That architecture requires local data sources. If the app also accepts changes offline, it needs synchronization rules and a way to handle conflicts when connectivity returns. It is much broader than caching a page.This distinction matters when selecting an app builder or describing your own app. “Available offline” should identify a specific task. It should not imply that every screen and action behaves as it does online.
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