Can you elaborate a bit on why it would be important for an iPhone app to be able to work offline? Is it just because you want it to be fast, or is there some other reason?
Some mobile apps are like this. Even some desktop apps, won't move forward without it's connection to the mothership. Yes, it's frustrating. I like offline capable systems.
The money isn't there for offline ability on most websites. So... I can appreciate it from a distance.
Yeah, the problem with all these web apps is the lack of functionality when offline. Most just don't work, and some have a half working offline mode, but non-perfect connectivity or no connectivity really limits productivity today.
Offline-capable apps on phones are "a thing". There are plenty of times when I have poor (or nonexistent) cellular coverage and would love web-based apps to work.
Their Android app also doesn't have offline support, which makes me sad. Email is a great fit for offline first, and it's always frustrating to see a notification and tap it to get a loading screen.
On mobile, offline first products simply work better and provide a better user experience. That doesn't require decentralization, and there are some apps were it won't be useful.
This is a cool concept and I want to like it. Right now it's absolutely useless for me if the iPhone client doesn't work without an internet connection.
Not all apps have been designed to work when offline and use local storage, local services etc. Most web apps will expect you to have constant connectivity in order to work or be useful.
IOW: Just because web-browsers support offline, doesn't mean the apps does it.
The problem I've always had is that situations where I'd want to use it are also situations where I have limited cellphone connectivity. Maybe it works offline now, but it didn't last time I checked.
Or at least, I hope this will soon be the case. Sadly, it not working on the iPhone will probably mean it's often not worth investing into at all.
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