Offline Capability for PWAs and Hybrid-native Apps Built on Bubble?

So, you're building a Progressive Web App (PWA) or hybrid-native app on Bubble and wondering if it'll work offline? The short answer is no, but let's dive into the details.

Here's how it works: Bubble apps are built on a backend hosted on AWS servers. This is where the database and other vital functionalities live. So, if there's no internet connection, your app won't be able to load or manipulate any data. In other words, your Bubble app will only work if the backend is reachable via the internet. Sorry.

But what about caching? Some PWA builders, like Progressier.com, offer caching. This is a fancy way of locally storing certain assets, like images, on the device. But don't get too excited - this is mainly intended to improve loading times and won't magically make your app work entirely offline. Even if you store some assets locally, it's still impossible to query and manipulate data in the database.

So, what can you do to manage the offline state of your app? Most common native wrappers and PWA builders have an offline alert feature. It's like a little pop-up that says, "Hey, you're offline right now. Try again later." It's always a good idea to configure this feature, so your users aren't left wondering why your app isn't working. See, for example, this one.

In summary, PWAs and hybrid-native apps built on Bubble are not functional offline. But there are ways to improve the user experience when connectivity is limited or lost.

That’s it. Keep it simple,

Damian

👉 twitter.com/DamianJanzi

👉 academy.bubblehacks.io

👉 bubblehacks.substack.com

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