Evernote wouldn't open on my iPhone when I was overseas

[RLK 0]

I put all my travel information regarding flights, hotels, passwords, etc., into Evernote before I left Canada.  I checked the app and everything was working perfectly.  However, when I tried to open the app on my iPhone 4 (version 7.1.2), using WiFi, while in Central America and Mexico, I could not access any files.  When I touched the app icon, the green Evernote screen appeared for 3 seconds and then disappeared, leaving me looking at the regular iPhone desktop.  That was a disaster because I had trusted Evernote to provide me with my travel information and did not take hard copies.  When I got back to Canada, I tried the Evernote app on my iPhone and it opened as usual to reveal all my files.  Can anyone tell me the cause of this problem and what I can do to prevent the same thing happening on future trips outside North America?  (I had the iPhone set on airplane mode and now I'm wondering if that interferes with Evernote, despite other apps working fine with WiFi outside Canada.) 

[Frank.dg 1,385]

@RLK,

When you have your iPhone in airplane mode, you are in effect cutting off WiFi. You would not have had internet access at all in any app or browser on your phone. Unless you had downloaded certain notebooks to your Evernote app (within settings), you would not have been to access anything at all offline. By the way, offline access to notes on mobile devices is a premium feature - but still, you have to actively download notebooks to be able to see anything offline.

 

I think what you're describing is your app opening and then  crashing. I don't think that has anything to do with being in airplane mode... that is, unless your app crashes whenever it is not able to sync to Evernote servers. 

 

Provided that you have the same version now and haven't updated, you can put your phone into airplane mode right now and see if the same thing happens. Basically, doing that, it matters little whether you are using cellular data, 3G/ 4G, WiFi or whatever other form of internet access... even if your app did not crash, you would have had zero access to your notes, had you not prior to leaving a WiFi connection downloaded specific (or all) notebooks.

 

You said other apps worked fine with WiFi outside of Canada... Did you have your phone in airplane mode the whole time, or just at certain times? Are you sure you were in  airplane mode?... and if so, how can you be sure you were connecting to WiFi with any other apps?

 

The distinguishing thing between Evernote and many other apps is that your data is still accessible on other apps, while not so in Evernote, unless, once again, you had specifically downloaded notebooks prior to being offline.

 

Either way, whether offline or not, you should still have been able to create new notes. I think the issue is being confused with Airplane mode/ WiFi access and your app crashing. Very interesting that your app would crash in Mexico and Central America, but not in Canada. Something to do with the Coriolis Effect perhaps? 

[RLK 0]

I appreciate your fast and detailed reply, Frank.dg.  I took your advice and put my iPhone in airplane mode (at home in Canada) and then turned on WiFi.  All my apps worked fine (ie. Gmail, banking, WiFi thermostat, currency converter, current weather, etc.), including Evernote.  And when I was overseas all apps worked with Wifi and airplane mode on.  So you might want to check on your own iPhone the validity of your statement that, "When you have your iPhone in airplane mode, you are in effect cutting off WiFi."  

Still, I think now that you are correct in guessing that my issue involved the Evernote app crashing when I was overseas.  Perhaps the problem was caused by the rather poor WiFi connections I was forced to use in some small Central American towns. I'll have to explore that idea further.  In the meantime, I'll store my important travel information in other places on my iPhone until I can trust Evernote to work properly everywhere.  

 

[gazumped 11,664]

There's a thing called "offline searchable" which is where you download your notes to your phone to be available whether or not you have a working wifi (or other network) connection.  That's a Premium only feature,  but it sounds like what you need to be able to refer to notes regardless of your location and connection.  In normal circumstances Evernote stores some information on your device,  but relies on the network connection to be able to download the latest version of any notes if you want to refer to them.  If you're in another country and with a variable connection that might be..  erratic.

[Frank.dg 1,385]

 

So you might want to check on your own iPhone the validity of your statement that, "When you have your iPhone in airplane mode, you are in effect cutting off WiFi."  

 

 

You must have enabled WiFi in airplane mode, which is not the norm... If so, you would have understood it not to be so out of the ordinary for anyone to assume that airplane mode cuts off WiFi, as described below - and, in fact, it would be sort of redundant mentioning it if you know for sure that you have WiFi enabled while in airplane mode - unless disabling location services is what threw the spanner in the works, which I wouldn't understand.

 

Either way, you say enabling airplane mode back home is not a problem... not sure why it would be in a foreign country. I travel constantly in areas with terrible coverage. I too have traveled and lived in Central America and Mexico, but have not experienced my Evernote app crashing due to slow internet connections. There may be more to it than is within our scope, probably.

 

The only other thing I can think of is that perhaps you're talking about the switch on the side of your phone that mutes your phone, otherwise known as the ring/silent switch. 

 

A very relevant side note, as touched upon in my first reply: it would be interesting to understand how the whole offline notes thing works (for premium users) regardless of what country you're in. I think it requires some looking into if you're not familiar with it. It's quite essential.