Offline Mode & Sync: Study Anywhere

Internet connections are not always available — on the train, in a library basement, or during a flight. Foxxy’s offline mode ensures you can keep studying regardless of your connectivity. This guide explains how offline mode works, what is available without internet, and how syncing keeps everything consistent.

How Offline Mode Works

Foxxy is built as a Progressive Web App (PWA), which means it can work without an internet connection once you have loaded it at least once. Here is what happens:

1. Initial load — The first time you visit Foxxy in your browser, the app downloads and caches all necessary assets (code, images, fonts).
2. Data caching — Your decks, cards, and study progress are stored locally on your device.
3. Offline detection — When your device loses internet connectivity, Foxxy automatically switches to offline mode. You will see a small banner indicating you are offline.
4. Seamless transition — You can continue studying without interruption. The experience feels the same as online.

Setting Up for Offline Use

To get the most reliable offline experience:

1. Add Foxxy to your home screen. Open www.foxxycards.com in your browser, tap the menu, and select Add to Home Screen. This installs the PWA and gives it app-like behaviour.
2. Open the app while online at least once after each update to ensure the latest version is cached.
3. Open each deck you plan to study offline while you still have a connection. This ensures the cards are cached locally.

What Is Available Offline

Fully Available

• Studying decks — All cached decks and cards are accessible. Smart Mode, Free Mode, and Weak Topics Mode all work offline.
• Rating cards — Your ratings are recorded locally and synced when you reconnect.
• Viewing your progress — Dashboard statistics and streak counts are available from cached data.
• Fox Den — Your den and decorations are viewable offline.

Limited or Unavailable

• Creating new decks or cards — You can create them offline, and they will sync when you are back online.
• Sharing decks — Sharing requires an internet connection to send invitations or generate links.
• Receiving shared deck updates — Changes made by others to shared decks will not appear until you reconnect.
• Fox Den Shop — Purchasing new decorations requires an internet connection.
• Account changes — Updating your email, password, or profile requires connectivity.

How Syncing Works

When you come back online, Foxxy automatically syncs your offline activity with the server. Here is the process:

Automatic Sync

1. Foxxy detects that your connection has been restored.
2. All locally stored study data (ratings, progress updates, new cards) is uploaded to the server.
3. Any changes from the server (shared deck updates, new content from collaborators) is downloaded to your device.
4. The sync happens in the background — you can continue using the app normally.

Sync Indicators

• A sync icon in the header shows the current sync status.
• A brief notification confirms when sync is complete.
• If sync fails (e.g., due to an unstable connection), Foxxy retries automatically.

Conflict Resolution

Conflicts can occur when you edit something offline that was also changed by someone else online. Foxxy handles this gracefully:

Study Progress Conflicts

These are rare and typically resolved automatically. If you reviewed a card offline and the card’s schedule was also updated on the server (e.g., from a different device), Foxxy keeps the most recent rating and recalculates the schedule accordingly.

Card Content Conflicts

If you edited a card offline and someone else edited the same card online:

• Foxxy compares timestamps and keeps the most recent edit.
• If both edits happened within a very short window, Foxxy may prompt you to choose which version to keep.
• The other version is not lost — it is stored in the card’s edit history so you can recover it if needed.

Deck-Level Conflicts

• If a shared deck was deleted by the owner while you were offline, the deck is removed from your library on sync and you are notified.
• If you created cards in a deck that was deleted, those cards are saved as an orphaned draft that you can move to another deck.

Tips for Reliable Offline Use

• Sync before going offline. Open the app and let it load fully while you have a connection. This ensures the latest data is cached.
• Do not clear your browser cache. Foxxy stores data locally; clearing the cache removes it.
• Use the home screen app. PWAs installed on the home screen have more reliable caching than browser tabs.
• Check sync status after reconnecting. Look for the sync icon confirmation to make sure all your offline work was uploaded.
• Study streaks work offline. Your streak is maintained based on local activity and confirmed on sync, so do not worry about losing your streak during offline study.

Offline Mode and Study Streaks

A common concern: “Will I lose my streak if I study offline?” The answer is no. Foxxy records your study activity locally with a timestamp. When you sync, the streak is calculated based on when you actually studied, not when the data reached the server. So if you study on a plane with no Wi-Fi, your streak is preserved.

For more about streaks, see Fox Den & Gamification.

Related Articles

• Getting Started with Foxxy Flashcards
• Study Modes Explained
• Sharing Decks with Friends and Study Groups