{"id":14855,"date":"2023-09-18T16:45:35","date_gmt":"2023-09-18T23:45:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.couchbase.com\/blog\/?p=14855"},"modified":"2024-01-04T15:06:13","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T23:06:13","slug":"offline-first-more-reliable-mobile-apps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.couchbase.com\/blog\/offline-first-more-reliable-mobile-apps\/","title":{"rendered":"Offline-first: a mindset for developing faster, more reliable mobile apps"},"content":{"rendered":"

What does offline-first mean?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The term \u201coffline-first\u201d describes a mobile app that is built to perform most, or all, of its core functionality without access to the Internet. The concept is simple enough, but all too often this is not how a mobile app is developed. Instead, it is built to access data from distant cloud data centers, making it dependent on the internet. This means that when the network connection slows or becomes unavailable, so does the app, frustrating users and eroding adoption. By building an app with an “offline-first” approach, you essentially eliminate Internet dependencies, making the app faster and more reliable.<\/span><\/p>\n

A key to the offline-first concept is understanding that it doesn\u2019t apply only to use cases in remote locations, instead, it should be considered the standard approach for any mobile app development effort.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s explore that notion further\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Rule #1: the internet is unreliable<\/span><\/h2>\n

Why are mobile apps built with internet dependencies? Two main reasons:<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. \n
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    1. The assumption that connectivity will always be available and fast, combined with the prevalence of internet-based resources like RESTful APIs and cloud backends, has made building internet dependent apps an easy development choice.<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. The assumption that offline-first requirements do not apply to metropolitan locales; i.e., that they only apply to exotic, isolated, and hyper-remote use cases such as energy exploration, hard rock mining or wilderness rescue operations – cases where the app must operate in a complete internet-dead zone for extended periods of time.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      These assumptions have led to the development of scores of mobile apps that cannot operate without an internet connection. <\/span>Woe be to the user of such an application when it\u2019s needed and no network is available!<\/span><\/p>\n

      Offline-first should be default, not niche<\/span><\/h2>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      The very nature of mobile apps – that they run on mobile devices – means they are constantly moving from place to place and could lose network coverage at any time, even in the middle of the most modern cities on earth. Users go into subways, elevators, underground parking structures and tunnels, places where the briefest of dropped connections can render internet dependent apps unusable.<\/span><\/p>\n

      We’ve all been there: you\u2019re at that crucial scene in a streaming movie, or you need to <\/span>just hit send<\/span><\/i> on that critical email, or worst of all it’s 2am and you need that rideshare from the airport…but the internet has other plans!<\/span><\/p>\n

      If these scenarios sound familiar, then you understand the frustration users go through whenever their apps fail from lack of connectivity.<\/span><\/p>\n

      And any expectation that this type of experience would be tolerated is misguided. In fact <\/span>70%<\/span><\/a> of mobile app users will abandon an app that takes too long to load, and <\/span>84%<\/span><\/a> of app users will abandon an app if it fails just two times, and those are just the sorts of issues that happen with internet dependent apps when the connection is interrupted.<\/span><\/p>\n

      What’s needed is a development mindset shift that does not plan for solid internet connectivity and treat disruptions as an error, but rather that expects the inherent unreliability of the internet and develops around it. In other words, for the fastest most reliable mobile apps, you should <\/span>always<\/b> build offline-first.<\/span><\/p>\n

      The critical components of an offline-first mobile app<\/span><\/h2>\n

      The most important aspect of developing an offline-first mobile app is in how you handle data. If you want to remove internet dependencies, you need to store and process data local to the app. But you also need to make sure data can be shared with other users, and that any changes to data are reflected instantly and accurately throughout the app ecosystem.<\/span><\/p>\n

      In short, you need:<\/span><\/p>\n