Please Explain Bandwidth Issues with iCloud Sync

[neilw]

We just bought your DB app. In looking at your iCloud sync feature, I am not clear on what you are doing 100%. We are media producers operating on a yacht where bandwidth is very expensive and limited. If we switch on iCloud sync for your app, do we need a constant internet connection to work within the app — start-up, data entry, etc.?

I understand that when you click the manual sync button, the app will then do a sync, but we need to know if at all other times is an internet connection required?

[Brendan]

Tap Forms will upload file attachments and photos to iCloud (or Dropbox) even without you pressing the upload to cloud button. But if you turn off Tap Forms under Cellular Data then it won’t use your cellular data while using Tap Forms. It would be limited to accessing the Internet only when you’re connected to a WiFi network.

However, you can use Tap Forms in offline mode without an Internet connection. All your data (including photos which are stored locally) will be available to you offline. When you are connected to the Internet, iCloud will automatically upload and download files from your iCloud account.

[neilw]

Thanks. We work with iMac’s on a wifi hotspot (cellular), so looks like it won’t work for us. We leave the hotspot on, but have to drastically pick and choose what we upload/download in order to keep bandwidth costs down. Any background upload/download activity of any significant size could cost us a fortune in bandwidth.

From what you are saying, we really couldn’t trust Tap Forms in the sync mode since it would be constantly uploading attachments or photos we add to a record. Correct me if I am wrong, but about all we could do in our case is prohibit anyone from using any attachments or photos, correct?

Otherwise, if I understand you right, the only time there will be any sync activity is when we click the sync button??? Other than I assume the first time we upload the database, establish the syncing capability, etc. But to be clear, each time we start up the app, do we need to be connected to the internet in order to open the app, databases, etc., and start working, adding records, etc., waiting to sync until later in the day, for example. Need to be sure that if we do ban all attachments and photos if we can still use it without burning up bandwidth.

[Brendan]

Hi Neil,

Correct. If you don’t add photos, audio recordings, drawings, or file attachments, Tap Forms won’t do any uploading or downloading unless someone logged into the same account presses the upload to cloud button or attaches a photo or file attachment to a record.

You don’t need to be connected to the Internet to open Tap Forms or to modify the database.

[Author]

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