Google SDKs Enable iOS & Android Mobile Apps to Work Offline

On May 29, 2015, Google launched its new Mobile Offline software development kit, giving app developers a new way to support offline functionality. According to Google, the new SDK will give developers the tools they need to create apps that will continue to function smoothly in the absence of an Internet connection.

The Mobile Offline SDK was built from an existing mobile cloud delivery service that Google acquired when it brought Firebase into its fold in October of 2014. From the standpoint of a mobile app development company, the Mobile Offline kit will offer a greatly expanded range of functional capabilities.

Andy Tzou, the Google Cloud Platform’s product marketing manager, spoke to the SDK’s ability to support continued function in areas where Internet service is nonexistent or prone to interruption. “Building a seamless user experience under these conditions can be challenging, while users increasingly expect their apps to work offline,” Tzou wrote. The new SDKs will allow both iOS-based and Android-based apps to access synchronized data, making it immediately available to the app when it is launched. Dallas iPhone app developers and software professionals around the world will also be able to specify data that needs to be obtained from the server and stored offline, ensuring continuous app function if the user loses his or her Internet connection.

Industry analysts have noted that support for offline functionality has emerged as a significant trend among app developers. Microsoft Corporation and Facebook subsidiary Parse have recently stepped up their efforts to enable offline app usage. While Google already supports the offline function of some of its services, such as Google Maps, its new Mobile Offline kit will broaden this reach into a much wider range of software products.