What is offline mode? Enable, disable, work on different devices and applications

What is offline mode? In simple terms, this is the ability to work in any application in the absence of access to communication. For computers, this is a shutdown, first of all, of the Internet, and possibly a local network. For mobile phones, this also disables both telephony and Bluetooth.

Why do you need offline mode on computers?

Most PC users, even when working in programs that do not require access to the Internet, are constantly connected to it. Some are out of habit, others due to the use of operating systems such as ChromeOS. In this system, all actions are performed via the Internet. If you need to print something, and there is no access to the Web, then there is nothing you can do, unless, of course, the document is saved in local storage and there is no other operating system.

In addition, Google is known to track user activities and transfer their personal data to US intelligence agencies upon request. If you are not concerned about privacy issues, then remember that for MS Windows, which is used by most users, the Web is full of viruses, and picking them up where the Internet could not be used is sometimes quite insulting.

Offline mode in mobile phone

After we figured out what offline mode is on a computer, let's see what it is on a mobile phone.

On phones running the Android operating system, this is referred to as "Offline mode". It is used in places where the use of mobile communications is unacceptable. An example of such a place would be an airplane, which is why this mode is often referred to as "Airplane Mode" on phones. Using this mode allows you to save the battery, which, as you know, tends to be discharged at the most inopportune time.

How to disable offline mode? This happens differently on different phones. Usually this option is located in the "Settings", where you need to select "Profiles" or "Modes", and there already check the box next to "Normal Mode". Some models require a reboot, after which it will automatically prompt you to switch to normal mode.

Removing offline mode in browsers

If you have limited traffic that suddenly began to end, you need to urgently go offline. What is being done in this case? You should enable offline mode in browsers with which you accessed the World Wide Web. Then many of the pages that were visited while the Internet was running can be viewed from the cache.

In this case, the answer to the question "how to remove offline mode" is quite trivial - you need to uncheck "Offline mode". In new versions of browsers, the menu bar is usually hidden, so you need to call it in an accessible way, for example, by pressing Alt on the keyboard, and then select "Offline mode".

Offline as a synonym for invisibility

The term "offline" has become so popular that it has come to be used not only as an indicator of being offline, but also as an indicator of real or perceived being offline. So, you can go to the social network "VKontakte" and become invisible to other users. That is, you will be present on the site, but for other users, your status indicates completely opposite information. This is also called "being offline".

Working with some Internet applications offline

Initially, online applications such as Google Docs were able to work offline. It can be noted that this contributes to a healthy rivalry between the creators of office applications, primarily Microsoft and Google corporations, which should increase their competitiveness.

How to enable offline mode in Google Docs? This can be achieved using the Chrome browser or its open-source counterpart Chromium. We open our "cloud" in it in "Google Drive" - ​​for this you need the Internet, then in the navigation bar click on the "More" button. We select the "Offline" category, as a result of which an instruction will appear, which indicates that you first need to install the addon for these purposes, and then click the offline access button. This will cause the files from the "cloud" to be copied to the local storage device. After that, you can turn off the Internet and work with Google Docs offline.

Thus, we answered the question: "How to enable offline mode in Google Docs applications?"

You can do the same with Google Maps. When in online mode, an area on the map is indicated that will be needed when working offline. The map is then downloaded and the area can be searched offline.

In a mobile phone, offline mode can be enabled not only by completely turning off the mobile network, but also by turning off one Internet by unchecking "Use mobile data".

Exiting offline mode

Sometimes for certain applications, going offline can be blocked by firewalls. So, in "Steam" for games, offline mode is also provided. At the same time, in Social Club, some users cannot leave offline mode. In order to remove this restriction, you need to go to the firewall settings and adjust the rules and zones there. Here, these Social Club files are given a taboo to access the Internet. It must be removed, after which it will be possible to exit the offline mode.

This applies not only to Social Club, but also to some Steam games. Possibly observed in other applications as well.

How to exit offline mode? If this operation is blocked, go to the firewall, check the rules and zones, make them permissive for this application. If this happens frequently, check your Windows firewall settings.

Finally

To summarize: what is offline mode? In addition to the fact that this is a mode without access to the Internet, this term also means invisibility in some social networks. Some Internet applications are able to work offline, while downloading "cloud" files to local storage.