Offline Mode Overview

This guide is for Contributors and Field Reporters who need to record stories in offline mode.

It walks you through the key steps to capturing your story with limited or no internet access.

📍  Who is this for?

  • Field Reporters & Insight Leads
  • Anyone looking to capture stories in low-connectivity areas

🔑 Permissions Required:

  • You must be logged in before going offline
  • You must have an assigned Role on a Folktale workspace

Before you go offline

What is Offline Mode?

Folktale allows you to record and save your story even when you don’t have an internet connection. Later, when you reconnect, you can upload and submit your story seamlessly.

The 3 key actions that require an internet connection are:

  • Responding to a Story Invitation (Contributors) or Syncing Story Presets (Field Reporters)
  • Uploading and generating a preview
  • Submitting your story

Everything else can be done while offline.

Step 1: Open My Stories

Before going offline, sign in at portal.folktale.io. You will land on your My Stories page.

Step 2: Accept Your Invitation or Sync Your Story Preset

For Contributors

  • Make sure you have accepted your Story Invitation.
  • Verify that your story appears under Pending and is marked IN PROGRESS.

For Field Reporters

  • Ensure any new or updated Story Presets have synced while you are online.
  • You must be a member of the workspace where the preset was created to access it.

💡  Once you've completed these steps, you're ready to go offline. Close your browser and return when you're ready to record.

Step 3: Go to Create Your Story

When you're offline, open portal.folktale.io in your mobile browser. Even without an internet connection, Folktale will still function.

You’ll see a notification at the bottom of the page confirming Offline Mode.

  • If using a Story Invitation, tap the title to open the invitation details.
  • If using a Story Preset, tap Create Story to begin.

Once selected, you'll be directed to the Create Your Story page, where you can start recording.

Step 4: Record in Offline Mode

In Offline Mode, you can record your story just as you would online. However, your footage is not yet saved online.

📖 Learn more: Recording and submitting your story

⚠️  Important: Do not sign out of your account or clear your browser cache while offline. Doing so will result in losing any unsaved footage.

Step 5: Reconnect to the Internet

Once you have internet access again, open portal.folktale.io on the same device.

A list of ready-to-be-submitted stories will appear. Select the story title you'd like to upload and submit.

Step 6: Upload and Submit Your Story

Now that you're online, you will see Upload Pending at the bottom of your screen.

  1. Tap Upload Pending and select Upload All Changes Now.
  2. Alternatively, tap Upload and Build Preview to upload your footage.
  3. Once uploaded, your story is saved online and available on any of your devices when you log in.
  4. Review the Personal Information Collection Statement and Intellectual Property Use Terms before submitting.

⚠️ Once a story is submitted, it cannot be changed.

🎉 Congratulations! Your story is submitted.

  • Tap Back to My Stories to work on other invitations.
  • Tap View My Story to review your submission.