Offine not working

Bob_Haizmann
Participant III

None of my 5 apps start offline anymore. All the apps have been used for at least 6 months and have previously been launched when online so all needed data has been downloaded and stored locally. All apps have the same offline/sync settings:
Sync on start - off
Delayed sync - on
Auto update - off
The app can start offline - on
Store content for offline use - on
Server caching - on
Delta sync - on
The picture below show the error that every app gets on launch.

Thanks
Bob

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Bob_Haizmann
Participant III

I opened this thread so I want to mention that this offline mode issue has been fixed for all my apps.

Thanks AppSheet!

Bob

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42 REPLIES 42

Steve
Participant V

Please contact support@appsheet.com for help with this.

LeventK
Participant V

@Bob_Haizmann
As already described in the document:

Bob_Haizmann
Participant III

Hi Levent

I believe your interpretation of the statement is incorrect. The correct interpretation must be that you need to start the app online when is is created so the structured app configuration data gets cached on the device. After that the app can start offline. Here are the main reasons why I say this.

  1. 50-100 users have been running my apps for 4 years in a 2 million acre National Forest where connectivity is often not available. We are unable to rely on them launching with connectivity since they may not have connectivity at start of work day.
  2. They may need to run 2 different apps. They canโ€™t launch these both on one device in advance.
  3. AppSheet config site under Offline/Sync > Offline use when toggled on specifically states: โ€œThe app can start when offline. Allow the app to start even when there is no internet connection. Changes will not be synced until the user is online again.โ€ Note the word START. This is the way all my apps are configured per my initial statement.

Bob

@Bob_Haizmann
Itโ€™s not my interpretation, thatโ€™s what the documentation says, admit it or not. I humbly believe the statement is correct, because provided you edit the app and change the structure of the app, the apps in the users mobile devices cannot get the latest app build unless itโ€™s not syncing initially. This is what we call cold run. If the app build is changed and the user devices havenโ€™t got the latest app build, when they record the data and app tries to sync when connectivity has been established, than all the user data will be bogged up and you will need to reset the changes which will result with loss of data.

If you set an app to work offline, when you start the app (with start I mean a cold start, not from the device cache or memory) the app will sync and then you can continue to use the app even when offline. However, after you close the app provided you remove the app from the background running drawer of the mobile device, you will definitely need a live connection to be able to restart the app. If you close the app but donโ€™t remove it from background running drawer, than no connection will be needed for sure because the app is already running silently on the background.

And seeing as your screenshot is coming from an Android device, I can tell you a couple of things in this regard. I canโ€™t tell exactly which device and Android version it is, but that looks like Android 8, maybe 9. Anyway, depending on what all these devices run, app wise, its possible that Android kills AppSheet in the background anyway. Especially if AppSheet is in the background when the devices go to sleep for long periods. Moreso, people running Android have a tendency to kill tasks or run a task killing app. I donโ€™t know if anyone is doing that, but it will lead to these same problems in general.

Anyway, the only other thing I came here to say was that I suggest actually turning auto update on so that anytime they do have service it will start working on the syncing in the background. The more often the app gets the chance to check in with the server, the better.

OliverDahl
Participant IV

Hi!

Maybe this can solve your problem:

However, if you wish to launch the app when the device is offline, you must go to the Behavior>Offline & Sync tab and set the โ€˜Offline App Launchโ€™ option. You must do this before installing the app on your device . If your app has already been installed to the home screen, the shortcut must be deleted and installed again after enabling the offline option. Otherwise you will need to launch it from the AppSheet app itself.

It looks for me like the app is supposed to be able to launch offline with this setting turned on. Hope this helps!

Bob_Haizmann
Participant III

Oliver,

See my offline/sync settings in my original post including what your recommendation:
The app can start offline - on

These settings have not changed in 4 years. Am I missing something?

Yes, I just thought it might have something to do with the shortcuts. Have you tried to re-make the app shortcuts?

@Bob_Haizmann
From your wordings, I understand that your app was working offline since 4 years and now itโ€™s not working. Since 2016, Android OS and API levels have been updated 5 times. On this point I believe there might be an interference on how AppSheet App (the core app) behaves. With the latest OS upgrades, Android OS by-default shuts down automatic background running and connectivity other than the OS core apps to preserve battery life. You can firstly check that and secondly I may advise contacting support@appsheet.com directly.

Name Version number(s) Initial release date Play supported API level References
Nougat 7.0 โ€“ 7.1.2 August 22, 2016 No 24 โ€“ 25 [26][27][28][29]
Oreo 8.0 โ€“ 8.1 August 21, 2017 Yes 26 โ€“ 27 [30]
Pie 9 August 6, 2018 Yes 28 [31]
Android 10 10 September 3, 2019 Yes 29 [32]
Android 11 11 [ to be determined ] Beta 30 [33]

Bob_Haizmann
Participant III

Levent,
You read my mind and I was just going after the AppSheet settings in my Android 10, enabling background data. But to no avail; I still get the same error message simulating offline using Airplane mode. Iโ€™ve contacted AppSheet support. .
Thanks, Bob

Bob_Haizmann
Participant III

One thing that may be related that I find worrisome. Whenever I launch one of my apps, despite having delayed sync on and sync on start off, as I outlined above, the app displays that it is loading images and spools through to load >2000 images. Nothing should be updating unless Sync is tapped!

Bob

Bob_Haizmann
Participant III

I did some further troubleshooting. That was originally referring to my Android 10 device. I just installed one of the apps on an Android 7 device and another on an Android 6 device. Both gave me the same offline error and did not launch.

pcroque
Participant I

I am having the same problem with all my apps (running on Pixel 3XL and Pixel 2XL, latest Android 10 security updates). The apps are set to start offline, but when I try to start them offline I get the Android Error screen: ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED as shown in the first post of this thread.

I have initially started the apps while online, uninstalled and reinstalled all my app shortcuts, uninstalled and reinstalled the AppSheet app through the Play Store, all to no avail. Reached out to appsheet support last night so hopefully they can help resolve this.

Bob_Haizmann
Participant III

Pcroque

Are you using the same settings for offline and sync that I list in my initial posting above?

Bob

pcroque
Participant I

Bob_Haizmann, yes, Iโ€™m using essentially the same settings (although I donโ€™t have the option to use Server Caching or Delta Sync so these are off). I also tried turning off Store Content for Offline Use, but it didnโ€™t make any difference. Same error either way.

pcroque
Participant I

Quick update on this issue: I was told that AppSheet support was able to reproduce the issue on their end and they have escalated the issue up to the dev team.

Former Community Member
Not applicable

Broadly speaking, the issue here is that the offline cache is corrupted or incomplete. Weโ€™re working on a new version of the offline code that will prevent this problem (along with related improvements to how updates get delivered).

You should be able to fix this in the interim by resetting AppSheet.

pcroque
Participant I

Thanks Steve. Unfortunately, resetting AppSheet doesnโ€™t fix it for me. I took these steps: 1) clear cache, 2) delete app data, 3) uninstall appsheet, 4) reinstall appsheet from Play Store, 5) reinstall app shortcuts, 6) open apps initially while online, 7) turn on airplane mode, ๐Ÿ˜Ž tap on one of the app shortcuts, Result: I get the Android Error screen shown in first post of this thread, app will not start offline.

Former Community Member
Not applicable

Thanks for the update. Somethingโ€™s broken. Looking into it.

Bob_Haizmann
Participant III

I had tried reinstalling also prior to my original post with no success.

Former Community Member
Not applicable

We think it might help if you:

  1. Start the app while the device is online. Sync. Wait 10 seconds.
  2. Kill the app using the task switcher
  3. Open AppSheet again to one of your apps (like a shortcut)
  4. Turn on airplane mode
  5. Kill the app again and relaunch.

Bob_Haizmann
Participant III

I get the same error screen launching one app shortcut in each step

pcroque
Participant I

Didnโ€™t work for me either. I get the same error screen at step 5 and the app wonโ€™t launch. Tried with several different apps.

Idem for me, I contacted Support and waiting for solution.

Former Community Member
Not applicable

Weโ€™ve started rolling out the new offline code and weโ€™re seeing initial success. Iโ€™ve added the owner IDs I have support tickets for; @pcroque if you could send an email to support@appsheet.com with your account ID Iโ€™ll get you on the next train.

Bob_Haizmann
Participant III

Steve,
Thanks for youโ€™re attention to this. Much appreciated.

Bob

pcroque
Participant I

Yes, thanks Steve. My apps seem to be starting offline now.

I still seem to be having the same issue as described above. We use the app and Offline is a core functionality for us and this issue essentially renders our app unusable. Please advise how we would go about resolving this issue.

Hi, are you still seeing the same behavior? If yes, please send an email to support@appsheet.com so we could find the reason for this, thanks.

GP_Kriel1
Participant I

Thanks @Aleksi. I sent them an email.

Thanks

Bob_Haizmann
Participant III

I opened this thread so I want to mention that this offline mode issue has been fixed for all my apps.

Thanks AppSheet!

Bob

Thanks for your feedback @Bob_Haizmann

DiegoM
Participant I

Hello! In July 2022 I am having the same problem, my app is not working without internet connection. My android version is 11.
I use the free plan. is that the reason for the error?
Thank you!
Diego

 

Screenshot_2022-07-27-12-41-40-419_x1Trackmaster.x1Trackmaster (1).jpg

CONFIGURA.jpg

 

Please contact AppSheet Support for help with this.

Thanks Steve, I have already contacted them, they are trying to help me.

Gracias,

Diego

Hi All,

Is there any update on this, I appear to be having the same problem?

Thanks

Richard

Please contact AppSheet Support for help with this.

Attn @Aleksi @Rob_Just

DiegoM
Participant I

Hello!
Sorry for the delay in responding.

Yes, I was able to solve the problem. Below are the messages exchanged with Mark from support. The solution to my problem is highlighted in green.

SOLUCION.jpg

 

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