Offline Mode (Offline Checks)

Overview

When the Katalyst POS loses its connection to the server, the Offline Checks feature allows staff to view check information previously loaded on the device in a read-only mode. This ensures that staff can still reference open check details — including items and payment history — even without an active network connection.

Prerequisites

The POS app must have loaded check data before the connection was lost.
Offline Checks is only available when the POS cannot connect to the Katalyst server.

When Does Offline Mode Appear?

The Offline Checks button appears on the staff PIN login screen when the POS detects that it cannot reach the server. The button is hidden when the connection is healthy.

If the POS is still actively trying to reconnect (within the first few seconds after the connection drops), the button may not appear immediately. It will appear once the connection is confirmed as unavailable.

Accessing Offline Checks

On the PIN login screen, look for the Offline Checks button in the upper-right area of the screen.
Tap Offline Checks.
The Offline Checks (Read-only) screen opens.

What You Can Do in Offline Mode

The Offline Checks screen shows a list of all checks that were loaded on the device before the connection was lost.

View check details — tap any check in the list to see its items and payment information.
Print a guest receipt — tap Print Guest Receipt on the detail view to print a receipt for the selected check on a connected printer.

What You Cannot Do in Offline Mode

You cannot create new checks or add items to existing checks.
You cannot take new payments.
You cannot close or transfer checks.

All data shown is read-only and reflects the last saved state before the connection dropped.

Returning to Normal Operations

Once the POS reconnects to the server, the Offline Checks button on the PIN screen disappears. Log in normally with your PIN to resume full POS operations.

Troubleshooting

The Offline Checks button is not appearing even though the connection is down

The button waits a couple of seconds before appearing so it does not flicker during brief disconnections. If the connection is consistently unavailable, the button will appear after this short delay. If the button never appears, the POS may not have any check data saved on the device.

A check I expected to see is not in the offline list

Only checks that were loaded on the device before the connection dropped are available. Checks that were not yet opened or viewed may not be in the list.

Items or payments look different from what I remember

The offline data reflects the check as it was last updated on the device. Any changes made to the check very recently before the connection dropped may not be reflected.