Where does a web app keep your data?
You open the checklist on a second phone and see an empty list. That does not necessarily mean the first phone lost it. The app may keep separate records on each device.
Local means on this device
A web app can store records in the browser, using storage such as IndexedDB. Small preferences may use localStorage. Cached pages are a separate kind of saved material: they help the app load, but are not automatically a backup of the records you entered.
Browser data can be removed by the user or affected by storage policies. Private browsing is not a dependable place to keep business records. Ask the builder which storage the app uses and what happens when a save fails.
A server means another copy may exist
An app can send records to a server. That makes shared access possible, but the presence of an account does not prove that backups are good or that offline changes will sync correctly.
Ask who can access the server records, who pays for the service, how long records are kept, and how to export them. Use a fictional record to test the answers.
Sync needs rules
Suppose two people change the same job before either phone reconnects. Which change wins? Does the app show the conflict or silently replace a value?
For a solo checklist, it may be simpler to keep one working device and export regularly. For a team, write down the sharing requirement before building. Emailing copies back and forth is not the same as a shared live record.
Draw the path of one record
Start at the screen where you enter a sample job. Follow where it is saved, where it is exported, and how it would be restored on a replacement device. Name the person responsible for each step.
Keep sensitive records out of a casual prototype. A local app still needs appropriate device access and handling rules. If the only answer to “Where is the backup?” is “on the same phone,” you have not solved phone loss.
Sources & verification
Documentation checked October 25, 2026. Platform instructions are documented guidance; physical-device behavior has not been verified for this article.
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