Mobile networks are not reliable when it comes to speed. In addition, people use mobile devices on the move. If your app lacks the skills to work well offline, every time a user is in the tunnel or a subway or a plane your app will potentially lose connectivity making them frustrated. This situation can be addressed by consulting a Mobile App Development Company to build offline apps.
Why it is a challenging job?
Making an app offline first needs you to design for both on the front end and back end. For example:
• Check whether is it safe to update your application code.
• Your data schema needs to take conflict management into account.
• The conflict resolution needs user intervention.
• You might require a mechanism to migrate data on the front end apps.
Offline first is basically an application development process where developers guarantee that the functionality of an app is unaffected by lack of a network connection. In addition offline first usually implements the ability to sync data among different devices.
What to consider when building an offline mobile app?
1. Timely Synchronization
It allows users to work with mobile apps offline, but don’t forget to sync data with the server when Internet connectivity appears again.
2. Move Content to the App
As we’ve discussed earlier, it is crucial to store some content on the user device itself. It’ll reduce the need for regular access to the server.
3. Smart Notifications
Don’t forget to inform the user that the Internet has disappeared, and the program was forced to switch to the offline version of an app.
What are the different approaches to build an offline app?
The initial assumption in offline-first architecture is that the data is local. But the way the data is stored, synced, and accessed can change, as per the server type, architecture as well as device. The three commonly used approaches implemented by Mobile UI/UX Design Services are:
1. Storing data offline
Caching is the most remarkable approach for helping users to access data offline. It comprises of storing data on a local server or web browser from where the device can access it, offering an improved user experience in a short time.
2. Edit offline & sync online
By this methodology, it is easy for the users to edit data offline, marking changes smoothly. Once the network gains connectivity, the changes easily get synced through a push and pull method.
3. Edit other users’ data offline
Here, the data sync occurs by default without manual intervention. While changes are made in binary format between the device and server, only a few operations are sync after assessing the data intended for a particular user. The system resolves conflicts by itself.
What are the Key benefits of offline-first apps?
1. No internet connectivity issue
The most important advantage of offline app development is the app usage without internet connectivity. Hence, they’ll have less reason to remain dissatisfied with the interaction with your mobile service.
2. Gain customer loyalty
Knowing that the application has both online and offline versions, the user is highly pleased to take benefit of it in any situation. In addition, such an app works at a faster rate contributing to user loyalty.
3. Control over the caching process
Offline mobile apps provide a great means to efficiently manage caching steps. This is perfect for fast app development and such an opportunity can’t be ignored.
4. Battery Saving
The above benefits of building an offline app, namely, ease of caching, fast program loading, streamlined data storage management, ends into device’s battery saving. This is highly significant in cases if a user is not able to identify a place to charge a smart-phone during the day.
5. Competitive Benefits
An application having features to operate offline without requiring an active internet connection is always beneficial to remain competitive. This is an important reason why brands like Google, Spotify, Kindle, etc. have an amazing customer experience backing their business growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see my mobile app development process?
Yes! We provide timely progress reports related to it. We build your app on our development server and share all credentials so that you can monitor the app progress rate.
Do you offer after app deployment maintenance?
We offer our clients extended maintenance plans. We also completely support the app we design and develop if faced any problems or need any enhancements. Moreover, our team offers complete mobile app maintenance services & support.
Do you assure about the security & confidentiality of the app idea?
Yes, we sign an NDA to secure your app idea & information. Hence, we ensure the full security and privacy of the mobile app development project.
How much time is needed for Mobile app development?
The time to build a mobile app is based on multiple factors ranging from features, scalability, hosting server, and functionality.
How much does it cost to build a mobile app?
The cost of building an app completely depends on the features, functionality, and platform on which it is targeted.
Wrapping Up
At Mobibiz our core objective is to build offline app meeting client expectations. We ensure that your application works with the top-rated databases, having smooth workflow integration, experiences zero data security and protection concerns and ensures seamless connectivity. Our hired mobile app developers are skilled in both Android & iOS app development offline-first app development, which comes almost naturally to them. They also have the focused mindset with technical skills to build an offline-first mobile app.
