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
Please contact support@appsheet.com for help with this.
@Bob_Haizmann
As already described in the document:
One important pre-condition for all offline access is that the app must initially be launched on the device when it is online.> > This allows the needed information to be downloaded and stored locally.
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.
Bob
@Bob_Haizmann
Itâs not my interpretation, thatâs 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 itâs not syncing initially. This is what we call cold run. If the app build is changed and the user devices havenât 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 donât remove it from background running drawer, than no connection will be needed for sure because the app is already running silently on the background.
LeventK:
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 donât 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 canât 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 donât 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.
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 âOffline App Launchâ 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.- https://help.appsheet.com/en/articles/953714-offline-sync-the-essentials
It looks for me like the app is supposed to be able to launch offline with this setting turned on. Hope this helps!
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 itâs 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 â 7.1.2 | August 22, 2016 | No | 24 â 25 | [26][27][28][29] |
| Oreo | 8.0 â 8.1 | August 21, 2017 | Yes | 26 â 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] |
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. Iâve contacted AppSheet support. .
Thanks, Bob
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
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.
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.
Pcroque
Are you using the same settings for offline and sync that I list in my initial posting above?
Bob
Bob_Haizmann, yes, Iâm using essentially the same settings (although I donât 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 didnât make any difference. Same error either way.
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.
Broadly speaking, the issue here is that the offline cache is corrupted or incomplete. Weâre 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.
Thanks Steve. Unfortunately, resetting AppSheet doesnât 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, 8) 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.
Thanks for the update. Somethingâs broken. Looking into it.
