Using Mini Vault offline
Mini Vault saves your recently viewed collections, items, and images so you can browse them even without an internet connection. This is handy when you're at a craft show, in your workshop, or anywhere with spotty Wi-Fi.
What works offline
When you lose your internet connection, you can still:
- View recently visited collections — your last five collections are saved automatically.
- Browse items in those collections — including descriptions, categories, and values.
- See cached images — photos you've viewed recently load from your device's storage.
- Navigate between cached pages — use the sidebar to move between saved pages.
Mini Vault saves data automatically as you browse. There's nothing you need to turn on — just visit your collections while online and they'll be available offline later.
What doesn't work offline
Some actions need an internet connection to work:
- Creating, editing, or deleting collections or items
- Uploading photos
- Searching across all your items
- Community features (showcases, feed, comments)
- Account settings and billing
When you're offline and try to use one of these features, the button may be disabled with a tooltip that says "Changes require an internet connection."
Changes you make while offline are not saved. Always make sure you're connected to the internet before creating, editing, or deleting anything.
How to tell if you're offline
When Mini Vault detects that your connection has dropped, a small red banner appears at the bottom of the screen:
🔴 You are offline
You can dismiss this banner by clicking the ✕ button on the right side. The banner will reappear if your connection drops again.
When your internet comes back, the banner disappears automatically.
The offline page
If you try to open a page that hasn't been cached, Mini Vault shows a friendly offline page instead of a browser error.
This page tells you:
- Which features are available offline
- Links to your Collections and Dashboard (which are more likely to be cached)
To make sure your most important collections are available offline, simply open them while you have an internet connection. Mini Vault caches them automatically.
How long does cached data last?
Your cached data stays on your device for up to seven days. After that, it may be cleared by your browser to free up storage.
On iPhones and iPads, Safari may clear cached data after seven days of inactivity — even if you haven't closed the app. To refresh your data, simply open Mini Vault while connected to the internet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to do anything special to enable offline mode?
No. Mini Vault caches your data automatically as you browse. Just make sure you've installed the app for the best offline experience.
Can I add items to a collection while offline?
Not yet. Offline mode is currently read-only — you can view your data but not change it. We're exploring offline editing for a future update.
Why can't I see some of my collections offline?
Mini Vault caches your five most recently viewed collections. If you haven't opened a specific collection recently, it won't be available offline. Open it while online to cache it.
My cached images aren't showing. What happened?
Images are cached separately and may expire after 30 days. If an image isn't loading offline, it may have been cleared from the cache. View the collection while online to re-cache it.
Does offline mode use a lot of storage on my device?
Very little — typically under 50 MB. Mini Vault limits the number of cached items and images to keep storage usage low.
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