I just downloaded the Windows desktop application, and I absolutely love it!
However, I was wondering if it is necessary to uninstall the previous version and install the new one whenever there’s a new update, both on Windows and macOS?
I installed the desktop version under the impression that it could be used offline, similar to the Trello desktop app.
However, I found it almost unusable since Asana rarely displays the locally cached data and instead prompts me to be online.
While there may be instances where the internet connection is lost, the ability to view cached data can be helpful, and I believe this should be addressed.
There is one thing, however, that seems to be useful.
I noticed that I could still add new tasks inside the Asana desktop app using the Tab + Q shortcut, for example.
Nevertheless, there is a catch.
The Asana app must still be running in the systray until the new tasks are sent to the server.
If the background app gets terminated before sending data, the data will be lost.
Additionally, when the global keyboard shortcut (Ctrl Shift +) is pressed offline, I always lose the task.
Therefore, I turned off the setting, even though it’s highly useful when online.
I suspect that this is because the new tasks only exist in the memory rather than the local cache files.
I tried the same experiment with the mobile versions, and the new tasks successfully uploaded after getting restarted and the internet connection is back online.
If the desktop version works similarly, I believe I can always trust Asana.
Hello sir,
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my inquiry.
I’m also a software developer myself, so I understand what you mean.
However, I would like to bring to your attention that the issue I previously mentioned only applies to the Windows desktop version of Asana, not the mobile versions.
When I use the Windows desktop app offline, and revisit previously viewed pages, the whole page refreshes, resulting in no display.
(Please see the screenshot I attached)
Furthermore, I would like to draw your attention to the offline task creation behavior of the Asana desktop app.
While it works perfectly in most cases, there are instances where in-memory data may be lost.
Asana desktop app looks like a middle ground between Trello and Todoist when offline.
Trello informs the user that card creation failed due to a loss of internet connection,
and Todoist saves the newly created task locally and syncs it with the server once the internet connection is restored.
What if the internet connection of your laptop is disonnected, and you create a very important task not realizing it, and then turn the laptop off before the internet connection comes back?
I’m very lucky to have quality internet services and WiFi connections near here, but I recently encountered some internet connection problems due to different factors.
I understand that Asana has many features that make it an excellent choice for task management, and I am considering using it for all my future tasks.
However, I am worried that in the event of an internet connection problem, a very important task might be lost (and not knowing it at all), which is a cause for concern.
Notifying the user that the internet connection is offline when a task is created, so that the task may not be synced, would be helpful, as the user can check the result later.
