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Offline mode & sync
▶ Watch — a quick walkthrough of offline mode & sync
Offline selling works only in the Retailer OS desktop app for Windows and macOS. When the internet drops, the desktop register saves each sale on the computer and sends it to your account as soon as the connection is back.
IMPORTANT
In a web browser, and in the Retailer OS app for iPhone and iPad (coming soon to the App Store), POS needs an internet connection. If a sale can't reach Retailer OS, it isn't saved: the register shows an error, and you try again once you're back online.
How it works in the desktop app
- If the computer is offline, or Retailer OS doesn't answer within about 8 seconds, the sale is saved on this computer. Its receipt gets a temporary number that starts with OFF-.
- When the connection returns, saved sales sync automatically, drawing down inventory and posting to reports. While anything is still waiting, the app tries again about once a minute.
- Each sale is sent with its own key, so a retry never records the same sale twice.
- If Retailer OS refuses a saved sale when it arrives (for example, the register was closed or stock was short), the sale waits on the Sync screen for someone to decide. It's never re-sent or deleted on its own.
The Sync screen
Open Sync (/sync) to see anything still waiting and to confirm everything has uploaded. For a refused sale, choose Retry or Discard. Each sale saved on the computer keeps its own receipt, reachable even before it syncs.
Paying while offline
- Cash and the other tenders you record by hand work offline.
- Gift cards need internet. The card's balance is checked and spent on the server, so take another way to pay.
- Card readers need internet. Nothing is charged. Take the card on a separate terminal and choose Record it manually, or take another way to pay.
WARNING
Sales saved on the computer use the prices and stock the app last had, so selling the same unit on two disconnected registers can oversell. Reconnect as soon as you can so stock is reconciled.