What mobile app content is available to users who are offline

Having access to the internet is essential for in person attendees using the mobile app. Without access to the internet, the mobile app will not be able to synchronize data from the workspace, and the user will not be able to see the latest updates in the app.

In some situations, it can occur that attendees at an event venue have limited access to the internet. To ensure that attendees have access to essential information at all times, some app content is accessible even when the attendee does not have access to the internet.

Below we will take you through how this works in the app for in-person attendees with limited access to the internet.

What happens when the app is offline?

Opening the app when offline

If the attendee accesses the app when it is offline, the home page of the app will immediately display a "You are offline" message.

This offline home screen will provide links to content that the app user can access while the app is offline: QR code and Agenda:

 

A Refresh button is also present that the attendee can use to reconnect the app.

The navigation bar links and More menu will only provide access to content that is available offline. Other links will be deactivated. The data that is available to the app user will be up-to-date based on the last time that the app was accessed by the participant while being connected to the internet.

Losing internet connection while using the app

If the app user loses their internet connection while navigating the app, a "You are offline" message will appear:

Here the app user can tap "Refresh" to try to reconnect the app, or tap "Use app offline", in order to open the offline home screen.

This "You are offline" screen will only appear if the internet connection is lost for more than 3 seconds.

Internet is restored while using the app offline

Internet is restored from the offline home screen

If the internet connection is restored and the user is currently viewing the offline home page, then the app goes back online automatically, and all content in the app can be accessed.

The app user is informed that the app is back online thanks to a green "You are back online" banner at the bottom of the screen:

Internet is restored while viewing offline content

If the internet connection is restored, and the user is currently viewing an offline content (QR code or  agenda sessions) a green banner will appear at the top of the app saying "Connection restored - tap here to go back online":

The app user can then tap the green banner to go back online. This will directly open the app home page, online, with all content available.

Offline QR code

Each attendee has their own information and contact details stored in a QR code in the app.

This "badge" can be used to exchange business cards and access the venue or sessions. It is therefore important that attendees have access to it at all times. The QR code is accessible via the Scan button in the app menu:

Please note that the QR scanner functionality is not available when offline.

Offline agenda sessions

Agenda sessions for the current day and the next day are accessible to attendees who are offline:

The agenda data, like all app data, is synchronized/refreshed each time the app user accesses and navigates the app content while having access to the internet.

This means that changes made in the workspace while the app user is offline (for example agenda sessions in Backstage) will not be visible to the app user in offline mode. The user will only be able to see the latest data after accessing the sessions in the app while being connected to the internet.

When offline, the app will continue to show the users the sessions that they have registered to. The app user will however have to wait until the internet connection is restored in order to register to or unregister from any sessions:

         

So what can or can't attendees see when offline in the agenda?

• The Bookmark, Save and Register/unregister buttons are not available when offline. Only the session's name, date/time, description, speaker(s), and registration status are displayed when offline.
• The agenda filters and search bar are not available offline, and neither is the agenda Discover screen (if configured).
• Speaker pictures (in the agenda landing page and in individual session pages) are only visible if the user has already visited those pages while having an internet connection. If they have not previously visited the session page while being online, only the speaker initials will be displayed instead of the speaker pictures.
  
• Any custom layouts, forms, or any other elements not mentioned above that are used for sessions will not appear in offline mode.

Offline legal documents

Legal documents that are accessible to the attendees via the app can also be made available offline. To enable this, please contact SpotMe Support.