Make offline Word Study work while offline for downloaded resources

Ian MacGregor · 2025-01-16T08:03:38+00:00

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The Word Study feature doesn't work when a mobile device is offline.

Steps to reproduce:

Set your device to Airplane Mode
Open the Logos mobile app
Long-press on any word in a bible
In the resulting pop-over window (notice the lower half of that window is blank), tap the Word Study icon (the lower half of that pop-over window is never blank when online)
The result is a new blank tab being opened with a notice of "Connection Error"

As it stands there should be a way of doing Word Study while a mobile device is offline, it should at least be able to find information in previously downloaded books. This issue leads me to believe that the search function itself is server-side rather than client-side.

The Olive Tree mobile Bible Study app does not have this limitation, which means an offline Word Study is possible within a mobile app. I respectfully request that offline Search and Word Study functionality be added for offline use.

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Status: Submitted

Comments

Graham Criddle

This issue leads me to believe that the search function itself is server-side rather than client-side.

You are correct and so changing this would be a significant piece of work I expect.

Ian MacGregor

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1353732#Comment_1353732

Not really. I have designed websites and mobile apps in the past, it can be done. The fact that a major Logos competitor is already doing this should be incentive enough.

MJ. Smith

@Ian MacGregor

As it stands there should be a way of doing Word Study while a mobile device is offline, it should at least be able to find information in previously downloaded books.

Nearly all the data comes from datasets rather than directly from downloaded books.

Francis

It is not a good thing for the Church worldwide to have increased dependance on connectivity. I live in a first world country and even so, it is not always possible for me to be connected all the time. I often find myself with limited functionality in situations in which it would be helpful to have access to these tools. Moreover, if one day Logos goes belly-up, who would want to no longer have access to tools made to depend on their servers? While it may be currently unavoidable for the new AI features, it adds a risk factor to other features. This includes features that are online-only even in the desktop app.

Ian MacGregor

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1353735#Comment_1353735

Ok, I didn't know this.. thank you for the information. That is what is going to take some work - taking the dataset search/Word Study cross-platform from server-side to client-side. It's still doable, to be honest, but it will take a bit more work. I still believe it would benefit the company as well as the user base to get this done. I understand that this will take time, but it can be done.

Ian MacGregor

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1353767#Comment_1353767

Agreed. I live in Seattle, a large city, and there are still times when a thunderstorm, or a truck backing into a utility pole, that removes our internet access and renders the Logos app inoperative. It is hard to believe that people rely so heavily on something like internet access that can easily be taken out of service.

Larry Logue

I echo this concern as I live in the Philippines where power outrages or lack of internet service is common.

Ian MacGregor

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1353732#Comment_1353732

Are you intimating that we should avoid something that benefits everyone simply because it is too hard? I seem to remember Jesus being faced with that very same dilemma in the Garden of Gethsemane just before being arrested.

Graham Criddle

Are you intimating that we should avoid something that benefits everyone simply because it is too hard?

No - but it's not necessarily the case that this would benefit everyone, or that it would benefit everyone more than other things, or that it would be cost effective.

I have no way of knowing these things but they are some of the things Logos needs to take into account when planning their development strategy.

Personally there are things I would find more useful than having offline access to features on mobile - but I am aware that for others this is really important.

Ian MacGregor

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1354277#Comment_1354277

Very good points. Thank you for your insight.

Christopher Randall

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1353735#Comment_1353735

Could't the datasets be downloaded to mobile devices for access giving the option of either web (current datasets) or offline (what has been downloaded)?

Graham Criddle

Could't the datasets be downloaded to mobile devices for access giving the option of either web (current datasets) or offline (what has been downloaded)?

Potentially - although as they don't show in the library we don't have the controls to download them.

And, even if that were done, there is still the case that currently the app is designed to act in a client-server manner. And changing that would involve some work (no idea how much) and also a change in approach.

Ian MacGregor

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1354954#Comment_1354954

That would seem to solve the issue. This could easily be added to the mobile app codebase as an update/patch.. it wouldn't require anything of the user and would increase the value and performance of the app.

All it's going to take is another Carrington event, another severed undersea internet cable, or a major snowstorm and the Logos support desk is going to be lit up like a Christmas tree from users wondering why their Logos software doesn't work. I think most Logos users don't even realize this limitation exists because they've never tried to do an offline Word Study. I suspect this issue would be quickly resolved if every Logos customer knew about this.

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1354962#Comment_1354962

"This could easily be added" is something that only the Logos employees could know. As users we do not know the architecture and interactions of the code - something they appear to be trying to standardize and simplify. However, we can see that this project would take the same resources as 3 or 4 highly desirable projects. The question is not "can it be done" but rather "is it prioritized over the other projects competing for Logos' resources?". Your job as a proponent of this project is to convince enough of us that this is a project of sufficient priority to delay other priority projects and vote for it.

Ian MacGregor

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1355005#Comment_1355005

One only needs to go to the original post in this thread and perform the steps outlined therein to be convinced of the issue. I'm simply making the issue public so that more people can use their spheres of influence to spread awareness. This reminds me of the story of Noah and the great flood in the Book of Genesis. No one seemed to care about the problem until the flood waters began to appear and then everyone was banging on the doors of the ark to be let in.

I don't have any web presence to promote this - mainly because our internet connection is unstable. Anyone else willing to help promote this cause?

Ian MacGregor

It has come to my attention that this Logos software limitation only applies to the mobile version of the software, Word Studies can indeed be done on the desktop version of Logos while off-line. It seems those of us who only use iPhones and iPads are not quite as valuable as desktop users.

Christopher Randall

Not sure I would word it that way. I'm thinking a lot has to do with the amount of time the mobile version has been around and that certain things haven't caught up with the processing power tablets and phones have today. It's not that those who only use iphones and ipads are less valuable, but certain features haven't been caught up yet. There is a lot the company is working on.

Ian MacGregor

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1355470#Comment_1355470

We can have results or we can have excuses.. we cannot have both. I have been using the Olive Tree Bible app for years and that app has always had the ability to do a word study within the downloaded resources while the device is off-line. The Logos mobile app has been on the Apple App Store for over a year and that app isn't capable of doing the same thing on the same devices. Given the time involved, and the fact that Olive Tree has proven this is possible, I can only think that there is something wrong somewhere. Perhaps someone painted themselves into a corner by using large datasets for Word Studies?

We musts always strive to remove weaknesses wherever we find them. Only then will we also remove that which any enemy can use against us.

Graham Criddle

Given the time involved, and the fact that Olive Tree has proven this is possible, I can only think that there is something wrong somewhere.

Or, for whatever reason, the Logos team has not chosen to go down this route (at least for the moment).

MJ. Smith

@Ian MacGregor

We can have results or we can have excuses.

I live in a world where we can also have reasons - even Aristotle recognized his logic was two valued for ease of use not because it reflected reality. What I suspect is the reason here is that parts of the word study guide were designed and coded in an era when mobile devices were not a consideration. Therefore, they are maximized for cloud use. To convert those parts to work in the off-line environments requires significant redesign and recoding which is obviously possible but is costly having ramifications outside the obvious code. In prioritizing the tasks for their design and coding staff, Logos has to consider the number of people affected, the contribution to the overall stability of the application, the possible effects on marketing, and many, many other considerations. When looking across the many necessary and desirable changes, having the word study work offline has yet to bubble to the top of priorities. This is the result of our experiencing nature as linear with limited resources not an excuse.

However, there is a mechanism for influencing priorities - the feedback forum collecting votes. Continue to push for your priorities periodically to keep it in the users' minds. But please, if you want my vote keep your plea factual and persuasive.

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