Using Offline Mode

Offline mode allows your forms to collect responses even when the respondent has no internet connection. The form is cached locally on the device, submissions are stored in the browser, and everything syncs automatically when connectivity returns. Offline mode is available on the Enterprise plan.

What offline mode does

When offline mode is enabled for a form, WittyForm installs a service worker that caches the entire form experience as a Progressive Web App (PWA). This means the form loads and functions normally even without an internet connection. Respondents can fill out and submit the form, and their submissions are stored securely in the browser's local storage until the device reconnects.

This is especially useful for field work, events, trade shows, remote locations, or any scenario where internet access is unreliable. Your data collection never stops, regardless of connectivity.

Enabling offline mode

1. Open the form you want to make available offline in the form editor.
2. Click the Settings tab.
3. Scroll down to the Offline Mode section.
4. Toggle Enable offline mode to on.
5. Click Save.

After enabling offline mode, the form needs to be loaded at least once while online so the service worker can cache the necessary assets. After that first load, the form will work without a connection.

How it works

1. Caching: When a respondent first visits your form while online, the PWA service worker caches the form structure, styles, scripts, and all assets needed to render the form.
2. Offline submission: If the device loses connectivity (or was already offline), the form still loads from cache. When the respondent submits, the response is saved to IndexedDB in the browser instead of being sent to the server.
3. Auto-sync: The service worker monitors connectivity. As soon as the device comes back online, queued submissions are automatically sent to WittyForm's servers in the order they were collected.
4. Confirmation: After all queued submissions are synced, the respondent (or the person managing the device) sees a confirmation that all data has been uploaded.

The offline indicator

When a form is being used offline, a small banner appears at the top of the form indicating that the device is offline and submissions will be saved locally. This banner disappears automatically when connectivity is restored. You can customize the banner text in Settings → Offline Mode → Offline banner message.

Viewing sync status

To check whether offline submissions have been synced, go to the Responses tab for your form. Responses collected offline are tagged with an "Offline" label and show the original submission timestamp (when the respondent completed the form), not the sync timestamp. You can also see a sync status summary in Settings → Offline Mode, which shows how many submissions are pending sync across all devices.

Limitations

While offline mode covers most use cases, there are some limitations to be aware of:

• File uploads: Files selected while offline are stored locally and queued for upload when the device reconnects. Large files may take time to upload once connectivity returns. There is a 50 MB per-submission limit for queued file uploads.
• Server-dependent conditional logic: Conditional logic rules that require server-side lookups (such as checking external data sources or running API-based validations) will not work offline. Standard conditional logic based on form field values works normally.
• Payment fields: Payment processing requires an active internet connection. Forms with payment fields will display a message asking respondents to complete the payment step when they are back online.
• Live Maps workflows: Distance fields, required Google Address Validation, and Google location-type conditional rules cannot be queued safely for later sync. The editor blocks publishing those features together with Offline mode. Optional Address autocomplete can fall back to manual entry offline when verification and location-type rules are not required.
• Browser storage limits: IndexedDB storage is subject to browser-imposed limits, typically between 50 MB and several hundred MB depending on the browser and device. Each text-based submission uses very little space, so this is rarely an issue unless you are collecting large file uploads offline.
• Form updates: If you update a form while a device is offline, the device will continue using the cached version until it reconnects and the service worker fetches the latest version.

Tips for using offline mode

• Always load the form once while online before going into the field. This primes the service worker cache.
• If you are collecting data at an event, open the form on your device beforehand and confirm the offline indicator appears when you disable Wi-Fi.
• After returning to connectivity, keep the browser tab open for a few minutes to allow all queued submissions to sync.
• Check the sync status in your dashboard to confirm all submissions have been received before clearing browser data on shared devices.