Offline and sync
Most offline issues are transient and fixed by reconnecting. A few are stickier.
Symptom: Offline banner appears even though I have signal
Cause: The app uses the OS-reported network state, which can lag or give false negatives — especially on flaky cellular.
Fix:
- Toggle airplane mode on then off to reset network state.
- Force-quit the app and reopen — re-checks connectivity at startup.
- If banner persists with confirmed connectivity, it’s an app bug; report it.
Symptom: Pull-to-refresh spins forever
Cause: API request is timing out — backend may be slow, or your connection is fast enough to handshake but too slow to complete.
Fix:
- Check the network — is it actually working? (Try opening another app that uses the network.)
- Force-quit the Hilal app and reopen. The retry usually succeeds.
- If the backend is having issues, see Hilal’s status page.
Symptom: A note I wrote offline didn’t show up after I went online
Cause: Today, notes that fail to save (because you were offline at save-time) require manual re-save.
Fix:
- Open the note.
- Tap Save again.
The full offline-first sync that handles this automatically is on the roadmap. → Offline-first sync (coming soon).
Symptom: Data on mobile is stale compared to web
Cause: Mobile caches data briefly via React Query. After a long inactive period, the cache is stale until you trigger a refetch.
Fix:
- Pull-to-refresh on the relevant list.
- Or background the app (home button) and bring it back — the app refetches on foreground.
- Specific cases (e.g., new product on Amazon, new chatbot on web) may need a longer wait — Hilal’s backend syncs from Amazon and from chatbot platforms on a schedule (5–60 minutes depending on event type).
Symptom: Audio recording didn’t transcribe
Cause: Transcription runs server-side. If you were offline when you recorded and saved, the audio uploaded but transcription was queued.
Fix:
- Wait a couple of minutes after going online; transcription completes asynchronously.
- Pull-to-refresh the note.
- If still no transcript after 5 minutes, retry from the audio chip’s menu (tap the chip → ⋯ → Re-transcribe).
Symptom: Inbox doesn’t show new messages
Cause: Today’s inbox is poll-based; new messages can arrive with a few minutes’ delay.
Fix:
- Pull-to-refresh.
- If consistently slow, push for new messages is the right alternative — enable in Settings → Notifications.
The full real-time inbox (instant updates without refresh) is on the roadmap. → Real-time agent chat (coming soon).
Reporting
If sync issues persist, report a bug with:
- Which screen / data was stale.
- How long it stayed stale.
- iOS or Android, app version, network type (Wi-Fi / cellular).