What does offline sync actually mean in an inspection app, and what still needs signal?
In the Inspecable field app for Android, inspections, issues, incidents, observations and toolbox talks save on the phone with no signal (work orders too, on the Operations plan) and sync while the app is open.
Inspection App With No Signal: What Saves Offline and How It Syncs | Inspecable
This tutorial reports an issue with no signal, shows it waiting on the phone marked Pending Sync, opens the sync status with its retry button, and watches it sync when coverage comes back. It also lists what needs a connection: signing in, QR asset lookup, notifications, training progress and quizzes, drill signatures and the final inspection PDF. The app never syncs in the background, so open it when you are back in coverage. Recorded from the field app in a live demonstration organisation.
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Introduction
Mines, plants and remote sites often have no signal. In this video you will see what the Inspecable field app saves on the phone, what waits for coverage, and how it all syncs.
What saves on the phone
With no signal, the app still saves inspections, issues, incidents, observations and toolbox talks, and on the Operations plan, work orders and their sign-offs. Photos and videos wait on the phone too. It works from the copy it made the last time you opened it with signal. Here the signal drops. The chip at the top turns to Offline, and Home says it is showing saved data. Carry on working as normal.
Report an issue offline
Let's report an issue with no signal. Tap plus, then New Issue. The asset list comes from the phone's own copy. Pick the staff bus, and say what is wrong: the emergency exit hammer is missing. Tap Report Issue. It is saved on the phone, and the chip now counts what is waiting to sync. Nothing is lost if you close the app.
What waits
Open Issues, and there it is at the top, marked Pending Sync. It is on the phone, but not on the server yet, so your supervisor cannot see it until it syncs. Tap the chip to see the sync status: what is saved on this device, waiting to sync. Here it is the issue and its due date. Sync now only works with signal. If something ever fails to send, it shows here, with a retry button.
Back in coverage
Now the signal is back. The app says so and starts syncing on its own, and the chip shows it working. The list refreshes from the server, and the chip clears once everything is sent. Search for the issue, and there it is, with no Pending Sync mark. It is on the server now, where your supervisor can see it and act on it.
What needs signal
A few things need signal. Signing in, looking up an asset from its QR label, notifications, training progress and quizzes, drill signatures, and the final inspection PDF. Offline you get a preview marked as a preview. And the app syncs only while it is open. It never syncs in the background, so open it when you are back in coverage.
Recap
So: open the app with signal before you go out. Keep working with no signal, and your reports save on the phone. Then open the app again when you are back in coverage, and it syncs. To see every part of the field app, watch the full tour. Every tutorial is on our website, linked on screen now.
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