> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.phbhealth.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Offline and low connectivity

> What works with a poor network or no smartphone: what the app keeps on your device, drafts for staff, the desktop app, USSD and the front desk.

PHB is built for patchy networks. This page covers what is new beyond [Offline and session expired](/troubleshooting/offline-and-session-expired).

## What stays on your device

The app keeps only a branded **You're offline** page and its static files, so something opens when the network drops. It keeps no health data. Your records stay on PHB's servers, and nothing you save is queued for later. Reconnect before you save.

## Slow connections

Requests time out after 15 seconds. PHB retries only reads, and saves that are safe to repeat. A save that failed is not sent twice behind your back.

## For staff

| What | How it works |
| - | - |
| Drafts | Desk registration, nurse triage and the encounter note keep what you typed for the current browser tab, and ask **Restore unsaved draft?** on return. Nothing fills in on its own. A draft is cleared when you save or sign out. |
| Encounter note | The note also autosaves to PHB about a second after you stop typing. The draft on the device is a backup for when that save fails. |
| Desktop app | A staff-only app that opens PHB in its own window. It stores no records and can't save offline. |

Patients use the website or the mobile app, not the desktop app.

## No smartphone: USSD

Dial `*347*731#` on any phone. The steps and menu are in [Using USSD](/guides/patient/using-ussd). Two details: **Meds** lists at most 3 active medicines after your PIN, and **Nurse** asks the Care Line for a call back and sends you a request number by SMS. It is not a live nurse.

## No phone at all

The front desk can register you as a provisional patient and treat you today. Later they upgrade the record and your HPN stays the same. See [Patient without a phone](/workflows/patient-without-a-phone) and [Upgrade a provisional record](/guides/front-desk/upgrade-a-provisional-record).

In an emergency, call 112. If you can't approve access yourself, see [Emergency access to your record](/care/patients/emergency-access-to-your-record).


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