The Due Diligence Inspections (Happy DD) mobile app is built to support inspections even when cell service or Wi-Fi is limited. However, unstable connectivity can affect app performance if the app is constantly trying to sync in the background. This article covers how to prepare your device before heading offline, best practices for working through inspections when service is weak, and how to sync your data cleanly once you're back in range.
What This Article Covers
- How offline mode works in the DD mobile app
- Preparing your device before heading offline
- Best practices while working offline
- Coordinating with your walk team while offline
- Syncing your data after reconnecting
- Troubleshooting sync issues
- A quick summary of offline best practices
How Offline Mode Works
The Due Diligence Inspections mobile app saves inspection data locally on your device and syncs it to the cloud when a strong internet connection is available.
When connectivity is unstable, you may notice:
- Photos or responses appear slow to save
- Units may not fully close out until syncing is complete
- The app may feel sluggish while attempting to connect
- Syncing takes longer than usual, especially for photos
Counterintuitively, working intentionally offline (instead of over a weak signal) often improves app responsiveness — the device isn't constantly retrying connections in the background, so photos save faster and taps register cleanly. The best practices in this article are designed to prevent data loss and keep the app running smoothly through these conditions.
Preparing Your Device Before Heading Offline
Before heading into an area with poor connectivity:
- Open the Due Diligence Inspections (Happy DD) mobile app while connected to strong Wi-Fi or cellular data.
- Go to the Unit Inspections screen.
- Pull down from the top of the screen to refresh and load all inspections onto your device.
- Confirm the inspections appear in your list before going offline.
This ensures your inspections are available locally on your device even without service.
Working Offline — Best Practices
If you expect little to no service at the property:
-
Enable Airplane Mode AND turn off Wi-Fi separately. On most modern devices, enabling Airplane Mode disables cellular data but leaves Wi-Fi on. You'll need to toggle Wi-Fi off as a separate step so the app fully stops searching for a signal. Together, this:
- Prevents the app from constantly searching for a connection.
- Helps photos and inspection data save properly.
- Improves battery performance during long walks.
- Often actually improves app responsiveness — a device that isn't retrying spotty connections in the background runs smoother.
- Continue completing inspections as normal:
- Take photos.
- Answer inspection questions.
- Move between units.
Your data will save locally on the device until you reconnect. You'll also see a Sync Progress bar at the bottom of the screen once you're back online.
Coordinating with Your Walk Team While Offline
While your device is offline, you won't see other team members' inspection progress in the app until everyone syncs back up. For larger walk teams working in shared spaces (like high-rise hallways) or the same set of units, coordinate outside the app to avoid duplicating work:
- Designate sync check-in times — lunch and end of day are common patterns. Everyone syncs back up during those breaks so the team has a fresh view of what's been completed.
- Use a group text (or Slack/Teams channel) to communicate who's inspecting which units in real time.
- Divide the property in advance — assign units or areas to specific team members so overlap is unlikely even without live app visibility.
Syncing Your Data After Reconnecting
Once you return to an area with strong Wi-Fi or cellular service:
- Re-enable Wi-Fi and/or cellular data on your device.
- Open the app and wait for the progress bar at the bottom of the screen to count down the remaining items to sync.
- Allow syncing to finish completely. Wait for the Sync Complete message before closing the app or going offline again.
Completing this step ensures all inspection data and photos are uploaded successfully. If you see an error, that's a signal to reach out to the Due Diligence Support team right away rather than closing the app — see the Troubleshooting Sync Issues section below.
Troubleshooting Sync Issues
If you're experiencing sync problems or the app isn't behaving as expected, here's how to get help without risking your data:
⚠️ Important: Do not uninstall and reinstall the app if you're having sync issues. Doing so will permanently delete any unsynced data on the device, and our team will not be able to retrieve it. Only uninstall the app when directed to do so by HappyCo Due Diligence Support.
Option 1 — Call DD Support (live help)
For immediate troubleshooting, especially if you're in the middle of a walk:
- Call 447-HAPPYCO (447-427-7926)
- Press 2 for Due Diligence Support
- A team member can troubleshoot with your inspectors live over the phone.
Option 2 — Upload App Logs (asynchronous)
If the issue isn't urgent, or you'd prefer to escalate through email:
- Tap the Profile icon in the app.
- Select Upload Logs.
- Email dd@happy.co with:
- A description of the issue.
- The user experiencing the issue.
- Confirmation that logs were uploaded and the approximate time.
This gives our team what they need to review what's happening on the backend.
Summary — Offline Best Practices
- ✅ Load inspections before leaving Wi-Fi or cellular.
- ✅ Enable Airplane Mode and toggle Wi-Fi off separately while walking (most devices leave Wi-Fi on when Airplane Mode is enabled).
- ✅ Coordinate with team members outside the app — offline devices can't see each other's inspection progress.
- ✅ Let data fully sync before going offline again.
- ✅ Contact support immediately if you experience sync errors.
- ✅ Upload app logs if problems continue.
- ❌ Do not uninstall and reinstall the app if you're having sync issues.
Related Articles
- Due Diligence: Performing a Unit Walk Inspection — the primary walk-team article covering unit-by-unit inspections. (Link once published.)
- DD Mobile App: No Entry Workflow — how to handle units that can't be accessed.
- DD Mobile App: How to Add, Duplicate, and Remove Sections — adjusting sections when a unit differs from the template.
- DD Mobile App: Applying Rating Values in Bulk — speed up inspections by applying ratings to multiple items at once.
- FAQ: Due Diligence Unit Walks — common questions about DD unit walks.
Need Help?
The Due Diligence team is happy to assist:
- Submit a Service Request
- Email us at dd@happy.co
- For emergency, day-of support, give us a call at 447-427-7926 x2
Hours of operation: M–F, 7 AM – 5 PM PST