Our offline capabilities allows you to continue your critical work seamlessly, even in areas with limited internet connectivity. No more interruptions during on-site inspections or defecting! 🏗️
What you can and can't do offline
Here's a quick summary of what to expect when you lose connection on site:
✅ You can:
Open the app and navigate the location tree of your current project
Create defects with photos — these will automatically sync back to Visibuild as soon as your internet connection is restored
Create new inspections offline — though you won't be able to complete any requirements or take further action until they've synced back online
View and action any Visis you previously saved for offline use
❌ You can't:
Switch projects — the app stays on the last project you had open
View any Visis that haven't been previously saved for offline use
Log in for the first time — you must be already logged in before going offline
💡 Before heading on site — make sure you're logged in, load the project you'll be working on, and save any Visis you'll need to access offline. Any offline changes (defects, inspections, edits) will automatically sync once you're back on a connection.
Access data offline
Before entering your project site, load your project in the Visibuild mobile app to ensure you have the latest inspections, issues, and attachments at your fingertips.
👉 Tip: Check out our article on What You Can Do Offline and How to Prepare before heading into areas with low reception. Stay prepared and keep your projects moving!
Continuous work, seamless sync
Experience a dropped connection during an inspection? Keep working and the mobile app will save your offline changes during offline moments.
The
icon lets you know that you have some unsynced
changes in both the location and the Visi.
📱 Stay Informed: If any changes remain unsynced, you'll receive an in-app notification. Open the app, and Visibuild will sync your updates automatically when you're back in a good connection.
Find your unsynced changes
You can see everything waiting to sync in one place on the Unsynced Changes screen.
There are two ways to get there:
Tap the banner on your home screen or a location screen when changes need syncing.
Tap the syncing icon on a location or Visi.
The banner shows a count of changes that have failed to sync so you know at a glance when something needs a look.
On the Unsynced Changes screen, your changes are grouped so it's clear what (if anything) you need to do:
Action required — changes that can't be synced automatically and need you to step in. Shown in red.
Failing — changes that have failed at least once, but Visibuild is still retrying them automatically. Shown in amber, with details like Last attempted 2 min ago. These will still sync on their own — no action needed.
In progress — changes that are still uploading or waiting to be attempted. No action needed.
💡 A change only ever sits in Action required if it genuinely needs your attention — anything still retrying stays under Failing, so it won't quietly disappear on you.
⚠️ Changes that are still retrying (Failing)
Most sync hiccups fix themselves. When you're back on a good connection and the app is open, Visibuild keeps retrying these changes in the background until they go through.
When you retry, Visibuild attempts everything that's able to be retried and shows you a quick confirmation of how many changes synced. You'll also see a note reminding you that automatic retries are already running in the background, so it's fine to leave these alone.
🚨 Changes that need your attention (Action required)
Sometimes a change can't be uploaded no matter how many times it's retried — usually because something changed on the project while you were offline. The most common reasons are:
You've lost access to the project or location.
The location or Visi was deleted by someone else.
Your change now conflicts with the current state of the work — for example, a defect can't be closed because its requirements aren't met yet.
Because these can't resolve on their own, Visibuild stops retrying them and moves them to Action required so you can decide what to do. Open a change to see the options available for it:
Retry — try the change again. The Retry button sits in the top-right and is always available. This is handy when the issue was temporary or your access has since been restored.
Go to Visi — jump straight to the Visi to fix a conflict (for example, complete the outstanding requirements on a defect), then retry.
Download attachments — save any photos or files attached to the change onto your device before you discard it, so nothing is lost.
Discard — remove a change that can't be synced (for example, when you no longer have access to the project). You can also discard changes in bulk to resolve.
⚠️ Before discarding anything, download any attachments you want to keep — discarding a change can't be undone.
Need a hand? Send us your debug data
If you're stuck on a change that won't sync, you don't have to sort it out alone. From the options menu ( ? ) on the Unsynced Changes screen, tap Send debug data to Visibuild team. This sends your queued changes to our support team so we can take a look and help you get everything uploaded.
🚨 Important: Logging out of the app, or deleting the app, will delete any unsynced changes. If you're having trouble syncing, send us your debug data (or reach out via the in-app chat) before taking either of those actions — and download any attachments you need to keep.