In offline mode, browser delivers pages from Cache instead of showing error message

Bug Reports
#1

REPRODUCIBILITY (% or how often): 100%
BUILD ID = OS VERSION (Settings > About product): 4.3
HARDWARE (XA2, X10, X10 II, …): XA2
UI LANGUAGE:
REGRESSION: (compared to previous public release: Yes, No, ?): yes

DESCRIPTION:

When the device is offline (no WiFi, no mobile data), the browser shows websites (e.g. favourites, start pages) just normal if the device would be online, fully from the cache. For pages, which have not been visited before and are not in the cache, display the expected error message.

PRECONDITIONS:

Browser has visited some pages so that they are in cache.
Device is neither connected to WiFi or mobile data.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE:

  1. Open a web page with internet connection
  2. Disable internet
  3. Open the same page again

EXPECTED RESULT:

Error message “Unable to connect”

ACTUAL RESULT:

Page is shown

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

1 Like
Community meeting on IRC 12th January 2023
#2

Matter fo taste I guess but I would consider this a feature, not a bug.

6 Likes
#3

Whether or not a website’s content is cached locally and for how long it is cached is determined by the website itself.

Unless the browser isn’t honoring the website’s requests. This is not a bug.

3 Likes
#4

Would be a good though if you knew whether the page being displayed was current or cached - e.g. You might be looking at out of date news without realising.

2 Likes
#5

Exactly. You think you are looking at the actual website, but turns out it’s just the memory tricking you :wink: Even more bad when the website has dynamic data and you think what is displayed is true, but is not…

#6

The same is true when you’re online. That’s what a cache is about.

But agreed, an indicator if a page has not been checked for up-to-dateness whould be nice. I wonder whether Mozilla can do that at all though.

3 Likes
#7

The browser could indicate - say a red marker somewhere, if the phone is offline, but keep the same behaviour as now?

1 Like
#8

Correct, it is designed to work like this. If you navigate out of the cache, then you’ll hit the network error page.

1 Like