do shorcuts lack offline possibilities for free users?

[sacdegemecs 0]

hi all,

[first of all i'm new to the forum and i'm not sure if this is the correct subforum to add this doubt, so if a moderator thinks it needs to be moved, no problem at all]

i'm a returned user to evernote, was free user, and premium user too in the past, now i'm back to the app. when i was free user i remember having the notes added as shortcuts always available offline (very useful when you travel a lot and not always have connection). but now i noticed that the shortcuts lack this ‘offline feature’, am i right?

only premium users can now have notes offline even with shortcuts?

thanks in advance,

s.

[gazumped 11,737]

Hi.  Thanks for your query.  We'll be able to help more if you confirm the device and OS you're using.   In general,  Evernote v10 is now mostly web-based.  However it is possible in all apps to specify notebooks to be retained on the device for offline working.  Desktop devices default (I think) to retaining the full database for offline processing,  but it is possible to delete the local database if storage is limited.

Access notes offline 

[PinkElephant 8,241]

To me it is not clear which "Shortcuts" are meant here - those in the app itself, or from the OS in which it is running.

In general on mobile the app only holds little data for offline use. If you want to download the full content, you need a subscription. Download control is by notebook - not by assigning a note to shortcuts or not.

[sacdegemecs 0]

hi, gazumped and pinkelephant,

thanks for your prompt answers. i'm referring to the shortcuts of the app, the ones with the star (accessible from the lateral part of the app). in the past, i believe they were just called 'favourite notes' (or similar) and were thus cached in order to be accessed even in offline circumstances.

as i'm a returned user, i lost track of the evolution from 'favs' to these 'shortcuts', which, at least in my case, i cannot access when i'm offline (without internet), for instance when i'm travelling. also, i might be totally wrong to compare those former 'favs' with these current 'shortcuts', as i'm new to the app again.

anyway, and just in case this is pertinent, i'm using both the web app and the os app (10.35).

 

best,

s.

 

 

[PinkElephant 8,241]

The shortcuts are meant only to access a few notes quickly. AFAIK they were never used to trigger a local storage - would make no sense, since you can put entire notebooks or saved searches there as well.

On the desktop clients a local copy for offline use is standard. On mobile it is a subscribers feature, and this since before v10 was released.

[gazumped 11,737]

3 minutes ago, sacdegemecs said:

i'm using both the web app and the os app (10.35).

AFAIK the web app doesn't have any local storage other than whatever the browser uses while you're looking at that web page.  Favourites/ shortcuts will jump to external URLs,  files stored outside Evernote on the local device,  other notes etc.  The web dashboard is identical with the installed version and shortcuts will do exactly the same job.  Evernote desktop does keep a local copy of your notes for offline working,  but shortcuts work across the whole database - there's no 'special' level that addresses only local files.  See Create shortcuts for more...

[PinkElephant 8,241]

... and furthermore when on Free, one need to decide. The web client counts as a "device" on its own - with 2 devices available you can't run web, mobile and desktop at the same time. If you believe you need an offline capability, you need a desktop client - and adding web to it makes little sense, because you then go without a mobile client in your pocket.

The Free model is meant to be basic, not comfortable.

[Dave-in-Decatur 3,981]

If you need to work on a specific note while you're offline for an extended period of time, I wonder if you could export it to an .enex file, then while you're offline re-import it into Evernote--probably under a different name!--and edit it. Once you're back online, the edited version would then sync, and would become your main version of the note. There are a number of ways that this could go wrong. You'd have to make sure that the version you exported was the current stable state of the note; no more editing after it's exported. If you re-import under a new name, edit, and let it sync when you're online, you'll have an old and a new version of the note, which is not ideal. You'd probably want to delete the old version.

All this is hypothetical: I've never tried it and don't know if it would work. It would surely cause chaos if you tried to do it on a large number of notes.

[PinkElephant 8,241]

There is no need to export to ENEX, just to have it when offline.

If you are able to handle an ENEX file, you are on a desktop client. And desktop clients have build in offline capabilities with all account types.

The restriction is with the mobile clients - but they can’t export or import ENEX files anyhow.

[sacdegemecs 0]

thanks to all, i think i got it clear now: no offline acess to notes on a mobile device (unless you are a paid member).

on the other hand, my doubt was just regarding being able to check notes for practical uses (check your room number in a hotel, a temporary access code you saved, etc.).

now i see that it's better to export them physically to your device in pdf or in your regular notes app.

 

[gazumped 11,737]

27 minutes ago, sacdegemecs said:

being able to check notes for practical uses (check your room number in a hotel, a temporary access code you saved, etc.).

I don't see where 'offline access' has anything to do with that sort of thing - your mobile phone should work fine in a hotel,  and your regular notes,  whether 'local' or not would give you room numbers or codes.  "Offline" means not being able to look up your room number when you're halfway up a mountain in Tibet...

[PinkElephant 8,241]

My use case for „offline“ is when the internet connection is shaky. Example: When on the train, the internal WiFi will work - but there will be ruptures in the external connection.

This situation can lead to syncing problems. So I go offline, do the editing I want, and sync later when on a stable network.

This is possible with all account types on a laptop running the desktop client. On mobile it only works with a subscription. Fair enough …

[sacdegemecs 0]

to nuance myself, my 'offline' situation is without internet connection (no data or no wifi), which is quite typical for me when travelling (not all hotels has wifi, at least where i usually go). and again, i don't intend to edit or modify the note, just to being able to read/check it.

in evernote in the past (5 years ago, more or less), when you 'faved' a note, you always had access to those specific notes offline.

[PinkElephant 8,241]

We are only talking about mobile here … I rather don’t know of places where there is neither WiFi nor mobile network these days. 

Putting a note in shortcuts never had a offline download effect. It may be that recently used notes were cached on device, but this had nothing to do with shortcut settings. The ability to download notes for offline use on mobile has always been a subscribers feature - before and with v10.

If it is a relevant use case for you, you need to think about a subscription.