Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Offline Support

Fourth of July is a celebration of liberty and freedom. What better reason to relax and unplug for a weekend, or even a full week? And while we spend time with family and friends, we have mobile devices to keep us connected to home or the office. But what do you do when your smartphone loses service, or your tablet can’t connect?

Offline Solutions

Employees depend on mobile apps to get access to information they need, even when they don’t have wireless service. With so much demand for this advanced technology, some mobile application development vendors have begun offering offline capabilities within their toolset. Some now support entity based caching, freeing users from the constraints of needing wireless connectivity to reach data-heavy applications. This provides users with the capability to create or edit records when disconnected from the network, and automatically updates when the user is back online.

Customized Native Apps vs. Web-based Apps

Some companies consider building web based mobile apps rather than native applications because they need to support a variety of device types and don’t have the resources to build multiple versions of an app for each mobile OS. Web based mobile apps not only offer a less intuitive and integrated feel than native applications, but they are rendered useless when a user is out of the range of wireless service. More and more companies are finding value in building customized, native mobile apps, which can make use of offline capabilities. Native applications with offline support make it possible to enter records in real-time while on a plane, underground on public transportation, or even in the most remote areas with poor wireless service. This technology gives users the ultimate freedom to travel wherever they may choose without losing access to the information they need.

America has always been the land of the free, and now mobile freedom, enabled by offline capability, allows employees to travel to even the most remote places or industrial settings. A lack of wireless service no longer means unusable apps.

How has losing wireless service affected your ability to be productive on-the-go?