FEATURE / 05 · OFFLINE CANVASSING

Offline canvassing app — knock doors anywhere, sync when you're ready.

A PWA canvassing app built for dead zones, apartment basements, and rural routes. The service worker caches the walk list, and IndexedDB queues every disposition, note, and survey response. When signal returns, the queue syncs in the background.

Type
PWA, no app store
Storage
IndexedDB queue
Sync
Auto on reconnect
WALK LIST · OFFLINE QUEUE · 1.2 MI TO GO
Beacon mobile walk list with online status indicator and route distance to next door — showing the offline-ready canvasser experience
Built for  rural GOTV · apartment basements · subway commutes · dead zones service worker · IndexedDB · auto-sync · PWA install

— Capabilities

How offline canvassing works without cell signal

Most canvassing tools assume connectivity. Beacon was built the other way around — every screen the canvasser uses works without a tower, and the data ships up when a connection comes back.

/01 — CACHE

Offline canvassing cache: service-worker shell

The app shell, walk list, contact details, and survey definitions all cache to the device on the first sync, so the canvasser can open the app at the door without a network round trip.

  • Service worker app shell
  • Walk list + contacts cached
  • Survey forms render from local data

/02 — QUEUE

IndexedDB queue for offline disposition logging

Every disposition, note, and survey response writes to the IndexedDB queue first. The queue persists across browser closes and phone restarts, so nothing is lost if the battery dies.

  • IndexedDB-backed queue
  • Persists across restarts
  • Visible "pending sync" count

/03 — SYNC

Background sync on reconnect

When the device sees a connection, the queue ships in a single background batch. Server-side conflict resolution preserves duplicate visits as separate records.

  • Background batch upload
  • Conflict-safe duplicate handling
  • Online indicator on every screen

— On the door, off the grid

The offline canvassing door screen works without bars

Disposition buttons, survey forms, and AI talking points cached from the last sync render straight from local storage. The "Online" pill at the top of the walk list goes red when signal drops, but the rest of the app keeps working as before.

See the canvasser flow
Beacon mobile walk list with the Online status pill and route order — readable and editable while offline
Beacon mobile door screen with disposition buttons, survey questions, and notes — every action queued locally and synced later

— How an offline shift runs

How an offline canvassing shift runs, end to end

/01

Sync before you go

Open the app on wifi, tap sync. The walk list, contact details, survey definitions, and territory boundaries cache to the device.

/02

Knock without signal

Walk the list, log dispositions, fill surveys, and leave notes. Every action writes straight to IndexedDB. The "Online" pill turns red, but nothing else changes.

/03

Drive back, auto-sync

When the phone catches signal again, the queue ships in the background and the pending counter clears.

/04

Manager sees the data

Knocks land in the activity feed and the map updates as the batch comes in, so there isn't a spreadsheet hand-off or an end-of-day reconciliation.

— FAQ

Offline canvassing app questions, answered

Q / 01

How does background sync work after canvassing offline?

Every offline interaction writes to IndexedDB on the device, and when the phone sees a connection again, queued interactions ship to the server in a single batch. Server-side conflict resolution keeps two canvassers visiting the same contact as separate records.

Q / 02

What if my phone dies with unsynced data?

Data persists in the IndexedDB queue, surviving browser closes, app restarts, and phone reboots. Open the app again, get connectivity, and the pending queue ships normally.

Q / 03

Do I need to install the offline canvassing app from the App Store?

No. Beacon is a PWA, so on Android, Chrome offers "Add to Home Screen," and on iOS you tap the Safari share button and choose "Add to Home Screen." You get the app icon and a full-screen experience without an app store account.

Q / 04

How much data does the offline canvassing app use?

The app shell is under 2MB on first load, and a typical 500-contact walk list fits under 1MB. Once cached, the app uses no data until sync, and a heavy day of door knocks (100+ logs) usually syncs in well under 500KB.

— Start walking

Send the team into the dead zone with offline canvassing

Open an account, install the PWA on your team's phones, and run a sync. The walk list works whether or not the bars do.

Install
PWA · no app store
Storage
IndexedDB queue
Free trial
14 days, full access, no card