In short: Similia is cloud-based homeopathy software, and with a Pro subscription its installed app now has an offline mode (beta). One switch in Settings › Offline downloads the recent cases, every repertory on the account and the materia medica books to the device. Case work, notes and keyword search keep going when the connection drops, and every change syncs as soon as it returns. The AI tools and semantic search still need a connection. The offline mode page covers the details and the frequently asked questions; this article explains when offline use matters in practice and how Similia handles it. (As with everything on this blog, it is written for practitioners and students, not as self-treatment advice for the public.)
Why Offline Still Matters in a Homeopathic Practice
Most consultations happen somewhere with a connection. The ones that do not are the ones practitioners remember: a home visit in a village with one bar of signal, a clinic in a basement, a seminar hall whose Wi-Fi gives up at the first break, a train between two patients, a trip abroad without a data plan. In those moments the question is simple: can I still open the case, take the symptoms down and look them up in the repertory?
For a long time the answer split the market in two. Desktop repertory software installed the whole library on one computer and worked anywhere, but kept the cases on that computer too, with updates arriving as new versions to install. Cloud software kept every case in sync across devices and stayed current, but paused whenever the network did. Similia's offline mode is designed to keep the cloud's advantages and remove its weakest moment.
How Similia's Offline Mode Works
Offline mode lives in the Similia app installed from the browser: on the home screen of an iPhone, iPad or Android phone, in the Dock of a Mac, or on the desktop of a Windows, Linux or ChromeOS computer. The install guide for Android, iPhone and desktop walks through that step for each platform.
In the installed app, Settings › Offline has a single Turn on button. The app reloads and sets the device up in one pass:
- the app itself, so it opens without a connection;
- the recent cases and their analyses;
- every repertory on the account, from the seven classical repertories to the premium repertories included in the subscription or bought as add-ons;
- the 21 classic materia medica books, in English and in the app's language, plus the premium books on the account, in English.
Repertories and books added to the account later download by themselves. The card in Settings shows when the device is ready, how many repertories and books it holds and how much space they use: the seven classical repertories take about 6 MB, and each premium repertory adds a few megabytes per language.
Once the device is ready, the connection matters much less. When it drops, an icon appears in the top bar and Similia keeps working from the device:
- open the cases and analyses on the device, and create new ones;
- add and grade rubrics, and edit prescriptions and patient details;
- write case and analysis notes, and use My Notes (open the My Notes list once while connected, so the notes are copied to the device);
- search the downloaded repertories by keyword and browse their chapters;
- read the downloaded materia medica books and search them by keyword.
Every change is saved on the device straight away and syncs by itself when the connection returns, while the app is open. If the same notes were changed on another device in the meantime, both versions are kept, so nothing is overwritten unseen. For other fields, the most recent change applies.
What Still Needs a Connection
Some of Similia runs on servers by nature, and offline mode is explicit about it rather than pretending otherwise:
- the AI toolkit: Notes-to-Rubric, AI case analysis, the AI assistant, Live Audio, dictation and photo analysis;
- semantic search, and repertory search filters and operators;
- keyword search inside translated classic books in some languages;
- adding images or audio to case notes;
- deleting cases, folders or analyses;
- Settings, billing and the account.
While the device is offline, these controls are dimmed and say they need a connection. They work again as soon as the device reconnects, with the changes made offline already in place.
Who Can Use It
Offline mode is part of a Pro subscription and starts once the subscription is active: it is not part of the free trial. The Free plan stays exactly what it is, online, with seven classical repertories and AI semantic search, 21 classic materia medica books to read, and basic case management capped at 3 new cases and 3 analyses per month.
A few rules keep offline use tied to a valid subscription without getting in the way:
- The installed app only. A browser tab keeps working online as usual and never keeps an offline copy.
- A connection every 30 days. The app confirms the subscription whenever it is online; after 30 days without a connection it asks to reconnect before opening offline again. Nothing on the device is removed meanwhile.
- Premium content on up to 3 devices. Premium repertories and books work offline on up to 3 devices used in the last 30 days, and Settings can release the others. The classical repertories and books have no device limit.
Supported browsers are Safari, Chrome, Edge and Firefox on iPhone and iPad; Chrome, Samsung Internet, Edge and Firefox on Android; Safari on macOS Sonoma or later, Chrome and Edge on a Mac; and Chrome or Edge on Windows, Linux and ChromeOS. Firefox and Opera on a computer are not supported.
Patient Data on the Device
Keeping clinical work on a device changes what protects it. With offline mode on, cases and notes sit in the installed app's own storage on that device, so the device's screen lock and built-in encryption matter as much as the account password. Downloaded repertories and books are encrypted and tied to the account and the device.
Removing the offline copy is deliberately simple. Signing out removes the cases and notes kept offline; if some changes have not synced yet, Similia asks before discarding them. Turning offline mode off syncs any waiting changes first, then removes the offline copy and the downloads from the device, while everything stays in the account online. For that reason offline mode belongs on a phone, tablet or computer you control; on a shared computer, use Similia in the browser.
Setting It Up
The whole setup takes a few minutes, most of them spent downloading:
- Open Similia in a supported browser, sign in and go to Settings › Offline, which shows the install steps for that browser.
- Install the app, open it from its new icon and sign in if it asks.
- In the installed app, go to Settings › Offline again and choose Turn on.
- Keep the app open and connected until the card says it is ready to work offline.
The step-by-step guide Use Similia Offline covers each screen and what to do if something looks wrong.
Offline Mode or a Desktop Install?
A native desktop program still has a place: it keeps its whole library on one computer, needs no subscription check, and some practices are built around a single machine that never goes online. If that describes the practice, a desktop install remains a reasonable choice.
For practitioners who work across a phone, a tablet and a computer, offline mode removes the main reason to keep a desktop program alongside a cloud platform. The same cases are on every device, the library updates itself, and a dropped connection no longer stops a consultation. The trade-offs are the ones described above: the AI tools wait for a connection, offline mode needs a Pro subscription, and the device checks in at least once a month.
Still in Beta
Offline mode carries a Beta label while it is refined with the practitioners using it. If something does not behave as expected, the chat inside the app reaches us directly. The offline mode page is kept up to date with what works offline, and pricing lists the Pro plans that include it.
