How do I…
Work without internet
Switch a project to Offline so it opens and keeps saving on this device when the signal drops.
Where to find it: Home › a project's Offline switch
Switch a project on before you leave for a site. The app then keeps a copy on this device and brings it up to date whenever it is open with internet, on any page. With no signal the project still opens and you can keep drawing; your changes are saved on the device and sent when the connection returns. See saving and sync.
- On Home, turn on Offline in the project's row. In the grid view the switch is in the top row of its card.
- Wait for the green tick beside the switch. The first download takes a moment.
- Before you go, open Offline projects in the main menu and choose Check now.
Tap the icon beside a switch to see its status, when it was last checked and what that means, with Check now, or Try again after a failure. Hovering it shows the status too.
Inside a drawing, open the status icon › Offline access and status for the same switch, its status in full and Update now.
What the icon beside the switch means
| Icon | Status | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Spinning circle | Getting ready for offline… | The first copy is being downloaded |
| Amber arrow down | Not on this device yet | Switched on, but no copy yet and no internet |
| Spinning circle | Updating… | Checking for newer changes |
| Green tick | Ready offline | The copy matched the server when it was last checked |
| Amber clock | May be out of date | It has not been checked for a few hours |
| Amber arrow up | Changes to send | Work done offline is waiting for the connection |
| Red alert | Couldn't update | The last check failed; the details say why |
| Amber arrows | Waiting for you | The same things were changed here and online; open the project to choose |
| Grey arrow up | App update waiting | A newer version of the app has downloaded; open Home to finish it. The project still opens with no internet |
| None | Online only | The switch is off for this project |
Offline projects lists every project that is switched on, each with its switch and status icon. A small dot beside it means one needs a look: red when one could not update, amber otherwise. Switching a project off stops its updates and keeps what is on the device.
When the same things changed online
Different changes made here and online are combined by themselves when the connection returns. When you both changed the same thing, syncing waits for you to choose: see finish syncing after offline work.
When the app updates
A new version of the app downloads by itself and takes over the next time Home is open. If that has not happened after a couple of minutes, for example because the app is open in another tab, Home offers Update app: one tap and the app reloads on the new version.
iPad and iPhone
On an iPad or iPhone, a tab in Safari and the app opened from its Home Screen icon keep separate storage. Switch projects on in the one you will use on site. The Home Screen icon opens the app straight away, even with no signal, and Home shows a tip with Add to Home Screen until you close it.
What needs internet
Share, Save, PDF and Find rooms stay off with Needs internet until the connection returns. Drawing, editing and undo do not need it.
Signing out or clearing the browser's data removes the copies. To keep a drawing outside the app, download a recovery file.