- Minimum
- Branded offline screen
- Better
- Auto-retry on reconnect
- Best
- Service-worker cache
- Fully offline
- HTML & ZIP app
Three levels of offline
| Level | User sees | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| None | Chrome's “Webpage not available” | — |
| Offline screen | Your logo, a message, a Retry button | Converter setting |
| Cached pages | Recently viewed pages still open | Service worker on your site |
| Fully offline | Everything works without internet | Pack files in the app |
The offline screen
Write it like your brand speaks: “You're offline — we'll reload as soon as you're back.” Keep the back button working so users can leave.
Service-worker caching
WebViews support service workers. Cache the app shell (CSS, JS, fonts, logo) and the most-visited pages with a stale-while-revalidate strategy. Platforms make this easy: PWA plugins for WordPress, @vite-pwa, Next.js and Nuxt PWA modules.
Forms offline
Don't lose users' typing. Save form drafts to local storage and restore them after a reconnect; show a clear “will send when online” state if you queue submissions.
When to choose a files-based app
Field checklists, menus in basements, HTML5 games and teaching tools often need to work with no signal at all. For those, convert a ZIP of the site with HTML & ZIP to APK instead of a URL.
Frequently asked
Can a converted app download the whole website for offline use?
Not automatically. Your site decides what to cache through its service worker.