iOS offline limitations

else-wer’s PWA works on iOS Safari, but Apple imposes some real constraints on what web apps can do there. This page explains what to expect so you’re not caught off guard.

HTTPS is required for offline playback

iOS Safari only registers a service worker — the piece of technology that lets a web app cache itself and downloaded content for offline use — on a secure context (a page served over HTTPS with a trusted certificate). Plain http://192.168.x.x on your home network will let you stream your library fine, but offline downloads and offline playback won’t work at all.

If you want offline playback on iPhone/iPad, set up HTTPS with DuckDNS first — it’s free and doesn’t require owning a domain.

Switching to HTTPS means re-adding the app

Once you move from http:// to https://, iOS treats it as a completely different app — different storage, different install. You’ll need to:

1. Open the new https:// address in Safari
2. Log in again
3. Add to Home Screen again
4. Re-download any books you’d downloaded under the old address

This is a one-time transition, not something that happens on every update.

No drag-and-drop for organizing your library

iOS Safari doesn’t reliably fire drag events for arbitrary draggable elements (this needs a heavy polyfill that isn’t worth shipping for what’s meant to be a lightweight companion app). The library organizer in else-wer’s PWA uses selection + an action menu (rename, move, merge, match) instead of drag-and-drop — it’s a different interaction, not a missing feature.

Backgrounded playback can behave oddly

Mobile Safari can suspend a backgrounded tab without firing the events a web app would normally expect (like pause). else-wer’s player accounts for this with playback-state heuristics and navigator.mediaSession integration for lock-screen/control-center controls, but if you notice playback state looking briefly out of sync after backgrounding the app for a long time, that’s the underlying platform constraint, not a bug in your library data.

Safe areas are handled

The PWA lays out its player controls and bottom navigation with the notch and home-indicator gesture area in mind, so content shouldn’t sit underneath either when running standalone (added to home screen) on modern iPhones.