Offline mode

If iPads become disconnected from Wi-Fi, visitors can still sign in. Learn how the iPad operates offline in this article.

Updated over a week ago

How offline mode works

When your iPad is connected to Wi-Fi, entries appear on your visitor log automatically as guests sign in.

If the iPad is not connected to Wi-Fi, visitors can still sign-in on the iPad, but entries have no way of being “sent” to your visitor log when there is no Internet connection. Instead, entries are stored directly on the iPad when it is offline. We refer to these as queued entries. You can find out if your iPad has queued entries by navigating to the Settings application, scrolling down to the Envoy Visitors application, and looked at the Entries enqueued for upload section.

The next time the iPad connects to Wi-Fi, these queued entries will automatically upload to your visitor log in the order that they were created (oldest to newest). Depending on how many entries were queued, this may take several minutes.

All information for queued entries will appear just like a regular visitor entry. The sign-in date and time will appear as the time the visitor signed in, not the time and date the entry was uploaded.

Offline mode will not work if you have any security features or integrations enabled (including visual compliance, block list, required registration, ID scanning, videos in legal documents, conditional rules.)

Feature functionality in offline mode

When the iPad is offline, host notifications will not be sent and registration details will not automatically appear on the iPad. Depending on your network configuration, badge printing may also be compromised.

How to know if your iPad is offline

If you think your iPad may be offline, follow these steps:

  1. Locate the iPad in question. Under the iPad name, locate WiFi Network. Besides the network name, you will see a colored dot.

    1. If the dot is green, the iPad is connected to Wi-Fi.

    2. If the dot is flashing red and says Disconnected, the iPad is in offline mode.

Tip: Turn on iPad status notifications to get notified when an iPad is offline for more than 20 minutes. Go to Visitors > Settings > Notifications.

Tips to reconnect

If you saw the correct Wi-Fi network name on your devices page, try turning the Wi-Fi off and back on again. Here’s how:

  1. On your iPad, go to the iPad Settings app.

  2. Locate Wi-Fi on the left.

  3. On the right, toggle Wi-Fi to the “off” position. Then immediately toggle it back to the “on” position.

If you saw the incorrect Wi-Fi network name on your devices page, try connecting to the correct network. Here’s how:

  1. On your iPad, go to the iPad Settings app.

  2. Locate Wi-Fi on the left.

  3. On the right, ensure Wi-Fi is toggled to the “on” position.

  4. Choose the correct network from the list shown.

Choosing to use offline mode

Most customers experience offline mode when their iPads become temporarily disconnected from Wi-Fi by accident. But, there are several situations where you may choose to use offline mode.

Offline mode gives you the flexibility to use Visitors when there is no Wi-Fi available.

  • Outdoor events: We’ve heard of customers using Visitors in the school pick-up line or when checking kids in for camp.

  • Trade shows: Visitors can be used like a lead-scanner at events, even if you don’t have Wi-Fi. Visitors to your booth can sign in on the iPad, and you can upload their information when you get back to your office or hotel.

When will offline mode not work?

Offline mode will not work if any of the following features are enabled on your account.

  1. Block list

  2. ID Scanning

  3. Pre-reg required

  4. Videos in Legal documents

  5. Conditional Rules

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