How To: Home Screen Apps and offline usage on ios 6 – cache manifest obsolete?

Question

Since apple's ios update to ios 6 data/local storage for Web Apps and Home Screen Apps is handled differently than before. Before ios 6 they shared the same data. Now home screen apps have their own data like native apps (see here: iO6 and Data Storage).

Since I have some trouble with the cache manifest in my home screen app (works fine in mobile safari, doesn't work right in home screen app – see here: strange behaviour with cache.manifest / offline usage of web app saved to home-screen on ipad ios6), I asked myself if it might no longer be necessary to store data for offline usage for home screen apps via the cache manifest. I searched the web without any luck.

So my question is following: is the cache manifest obsolete for home screen apps on ios 6? And if so, can I just leave it in there or do I have to remove it? Or: do I need to initiate offline storage somehow different now?

As I uderstand it the cache manifest was/is used to tell what data for a website should be cached so later visits would have decreased loading time AND the website could be used offline (either in mobile safari or as a home screen app). But if now the home screen app and the original website do not share the same data anymore – how is caching for home screen apps handled now?

I would be very happy for any advice/help on this. Or at least some links for some how-tos. Thx!

Answer 1

You still need the manifest file just like before. In fact you should not change anything, your web app should work just like before.

The only difference is that now home screen web apps have their offline cached (and local storage) stored separately from web apps in the safari.

Before there was only one place. So, before, if you had your app open in safari and also as home screen web app, they will both share the same offline cache and localstorage.

Now, each has its own cache separate from the other.