Working Offline — Field Inspections Without Internet

How Estimatics works without internet

Estimatics is designed for the field. You can capture photos, video, LiDAR scans, and notes without any internet connection. Files save to your iPhone instantly and sync automatically when you reconnect.

The key is a 3-minute preparation before you leave.

---

Before you leave — 3-minute checklist

Complete these steps while you have internet. Once done, you can work fully offline at the property.

Step 1 — Open the app with internet

This updates your entitlements cache (valid for 7 days) and session token (valid for 24 hours). Skip this and the app may block on launch if you've been offline for a week.

Step 2 — Navigate to your job

Go to: Schedule tab → Assigned, Upcoming, or In Progress. Opening the job list caches it to your device.

Step 3 — Open the Job Detail

Tap on your job to open it. This caches the full job: address, contacts, prior photos, and notes. Without this step, the job detail won't load offline.

Step 4 — Tap "Start Inspection"

This moves the job to "Inspection in Progress" status. The capture button (photos, video, LiDAR) only appears at this status. Do this before you lose signal.

You can now also tap "Start Inspection" offline — it saves locally and syncs when you reconnect. But doing it with signal is always the safest approach.

Step 5 — Schedule if needed

If the job is still "Assigned" with no date, tap "Schedule Job" before leaving. Also works offline with automatic sync.

---

What works offline

Once your job is "Inspection in Progress", everything below works without signal:

What doesn't work offline: Completed Jobs, Scheduler calendar, Team directory, Help Center, AI photo analysis, Report/PDF generation, Property history.

These show a clear message immediately — no long spinner. AI photo analysis runs automatically on reconnect.

---

The cloud icon — what it means

Photos and notes that haven't synced yet show a small cloud icon. A "Working offline" banner also appears below the navigation bar on all main screens.

The cloud icon disappears when you re-open the gallery or notes after reconnecting. You don't need to do anything — sync is automatic.

---

On reconnect — automatic sync

When your device detects internet, Estimatics syncs everything in this order:

1. Status changes first (Start Inspection, Schedule Job)
2. Photos and videos upload to cloud — lighter files first
3. Notes and metadata sync
4. Cloud icons disappear when you re-open gallery or notes

If something fails after 5 attempts, a notification appears. Go to Profile → Job Uploads to retry manually.

---

Common field scenarios

You lose signal mid-inspection

Already In Progress? Keep capturing. Everything saves locally and uploads automatically when you reach signal. No action needed.

You arrive with no signal — job is "Scheduled"

Tap "Start Inspection" offline. Status changes on device immediately, capture button appears. Syncs on reconnect. Or find minimal signal first, tap Start Inspection, then continue without internet.

You arrive with no signal — job is "Assigned"

Tap "Schedule Job" offline, then select a date. Then tap "Start Inspection" offline. Both sync automatically in order on reconnect.

The app won't open offline

First time on this device: connect at least once first. Entitlements cache expired (7+ days without opening app): reconnect to refresh. Under normal daily use this never happens.

You logged out before going offline

Logout clears the local cache. You need internet to log back in. Never log out if you plan to work offline. Closing the app (swipe) is safe — only explicit logout clears the cache.

---

5 golden rules for field work

1. Prepare before leaving — Open app, navigate to job, open it, tap Start Inspection. All with internet. 3 minutes. Prevents all field problems.

2. Never log out before offline work — Logout clears the cache. Keep your session active.

3. Verify sync before logging out — Wait for all cloud icons to clear. Re-open gallery after reconnecting. The app warns you with the exact count of unsynced files before executing logout.

4. Start Inspection unlocks capture — Without "Inspection in Progress" status, you can't take photos or scan. Do it with signal or offline with optimistic sync.

5. The app syncs itself — Don't force anything on reconnect. SyncEngine processes everything in the correct order automatically.

---

How it works behind the scenes

Your work is saved immediately on your device. Every photo, video, note, and 3D scan saves to your iPhone instantly — before any upload. Your work is never lost if you lose signal, the app closes, or the phone restarts.

Job information is cached when you open it. Opening a job with internet saves a complete copy on your phone: address, contacts, photos, notes, inspection details. This is why the preparation step matters.

Your session stays active for up to 30 days. Plan and app access cached for 7 days. Login stays active for 30 days. Under normal daily use, you'll never encounter a session issue in the field.

Upload retries happen automatically — up to 5 times. Bad signal? Estimatics retries with increasing wait times. Your file is never deleted from the device regardless of upload outcome.

---

Technical reference

• Entitlements cache: valid 7 days
• Session token: valid 24 hours
• Refresh token: valid 30 days
• Upload retry attempts: 5 (automatic, increasing intervals)
• Retry manually: Profile → Job Uploads
• Pending uploads warning: shown at logout with exact count