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Feature · Offline field mode

Job site with no bars? Still works.

Photos, notes, time entries, mileage, chat. All queue on the device when signal is gone. Syncs the second you have bars again. Basement remodel, pump room, rural build, mechanical closet. Doesn't matter.

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Included in every plan. Even the free one.
Workhand offline mode with sync queue pill in the header
What it does

Every action, offline. No exceptions.

Costs and receipts offline

Add a job cost without signal. The row shows up immediately. The receipt photo queues alongside it and uploads when connection returns.

Time clock offline

Clock in in the basement, clock out on the truck. Active timer banner stays accurate with zero bars. Hours land in the report when sync runs.

Daily logs with photos

Write notes, attach jobsite photos, save. Images queue with the log and upload together when signal returns. Photo and text stay tied.

Mileage offline

Log the trip on the drive back to the supply house. IRS-rate write-offs don't depend on signal. Queues and syncs like everything else.

Chat offline

Send job-thread messages with photo attachments. They show up in the thread right away and reconcile with realtime when the app reconnects.

Auto-sync on reconnect

Queue drains within about 30 seconds of getting bars back. Success toast tells you what synced. Pill in the header clears itself.

How it works

Save it now. Sync happens automatically.

1

Do the work

Add costs, log time, send chat, snap a receipt, write the daily log. Same taps as always. No offline switch to flip.

2

Queue on the device

Each change writes to local storage. A pill in the header shows a live count of pending items. Nothing gets lost to a crash or a dead battery.

3

Sync when the bars return

Queue drains in about 30 seconds. Photos upload. Chat reconciles. The dashboard catches up. A green toast confirms the count.

Built for the field, not the office

Persisted queue, per-row diagnostics, no data loss

Most construction apps treat offline as "show cached read-only data." Workhand's offline mode is write-capable. Every action that changes the database works without signal, persists across app restarts and phone reboots, and shows you exactly what's pending.

  • Queue persisted to device storage, survives crash and reboot
  • Header pill shows pending count in real time
  • Settings sync queue screen with per-row Retry and Discard
  • Pull-to-refresh on every list screen for on-demand re-fetch
  • Never auto-logs you out on a network failure
Settings sync queue diagnostic with retry and discard controls
Made for your trade

Wherever the signal drops, the app keeps working.

🏊

Pool Builders

Equipment pads and pump rooms behind the house

 🏠

Roofers

Rural neighborhoods where carrier coverage thins

 ❄️

HVAC

Attics, mechanical closets, crawl spaces

 🏗️

General Contractors

New construction before wifi and cell repeaters are in
Works even better with

Daily logs

Weather, crew count, hours, notes, photos. All logged in the field, all queued offline until sync.

See daily logs →

Time tracking

Punch in per job. Active timer banner. Billable hours toggle. Works with no bars, syncs when back.

See time tracking →

Customer portal

Homeowner sees progress photos and updates from the field. The photos queue offline and land in the portal when signal returns.

See the portal →
Frequently asked

Answers, no gate

Does Workhand work without internet?
Yes. Workhand has a real offline mode built into the app. Costs, daily notes with photos, time clock entries, mileage, and chat messages all keep working when the device has no signal. Each change queues locally and syncs automatically the second connection returns. A small pill in the header shows you how many items are waiting to sync so you always know where you stand.
What happens to my data if the app closes or the phone reboots while offline?
The queue is persisted to local device storage, not held in memory. If the app closes, the phone reboots, or the battery dies, your queued changes are still there when you reopen Workhand. As soon as the device gets signal again the queue drains automatically. No work is lost to a crash, a force-quit, or an overnight battery death.
How long can I work offline before things stop saving?
The offline queue holds up to 500 mutations and up to 30 days of work. That covers a one-day job in a no-signal basement easily, a week-long rural build comfortably, and basically any realistic field situation. If you somehow hit the cap, the oldest entries get trimmed first. In practice the queue drains every time you regain signal, so you rarely accumulate more than a few minutes of pending work at a time.
Do photos on daily logs and receipts still sync when I'm back online?
Yes. Photo uploads queue the same way text data does. The image stays on your device until you have signal, then the queue processor uploads the file and attaches it to the right cost row, daily log, chat message, or selection sheet. The system handles the file upload first and the row insert second so the photo and the data stay tied together even when the upload runs hours after the original action.
Why does the green pill say 'N queued' in the header?
That's the sync indicator. It shows up only when there are pending offline changes waiting to upload. The number is the count of queued mutations. Tap the pill and you go straight to the Settings sync queue screen, where you can see what each item is, when it was created, and any error if it failed. The pill clears itself the second the queue empties.
What if a queued item fails to sync when I'm back online?
Workhand classifies failures into retryable (network blips, server timeouts) and fatal (permission errors, validation errors). Retryable failures back off exponentially and try again on the next sync pass. Fatal failures land in the Settings sync queue screen with a clear error message so you can tap Retry after fixing the problem, or tap Discard if the change is no longer needed. Nothing fails silently.
Does offline mode cost extra on Workhand?
No. Offline mode is included on every plan including Free. There is no add-on charge, no upgrade required, no per-mutation fee. Pro at 34.99 per month and Team at 89.99 per month unlock unlimited jobs and more users, but the offline behavior is universal.
Does Workhand sync in the background while I'm not using it?
No, and that is intentional. Background sync drains battery hard on a phone that already spends its day on a jobsite. Workhand syncs only while the app is in the foreground or transitioning to foreground. The queue drains within 30 seconds of regaining signal the next time you open the app. For field crews this is the right tradeoff. Your battery lasts the day and your data still gets where it needs to go.

No bars? No problem.

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