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Resolving the "Failed to initialize offline database"

Sometimes Airship will show an error message that says Failed to initialize offline database. Don't worry — this is usually a quick fix.

Written by James Kupernik

First, try the buttons on the screen

When you see the error, two buttons appear on the page:

  1. Tap Refresh your browser first. This fixes the problem most of the time.

  2. If that doesn't help, tap Reset.

If you've tried both buttons and the error is still there, the next step is to clear out some old data your browser is holding on to. The steps below depend on which browser you're using — Safari, Chrome, or Edge.

Good to know: Clearing your browser data will sign you out of websites you're logged into. You'll need to sign back in to Airship (and any other sites) when you're done. Where possible, we'll show you how to clear data for just Airship so you don't lose everything else.

If you're using Safari

Safari is a little different — you clear its data from the Settings app on your device, not from inside Safari itself.

The best option: Clear data for just Airship

This is the cleanest way to fix the problem. It only removes Airship's data and leaves everything else alone.

  1. Close Safari.

  2. Open the Settings app (the gray gear icon on your home screen).

  3. Scroll down and tap Apps, then tap Safari. (On older iPads and iPhones, you'll see Safari right in the main Settings list — just tap it.)

  4. Scroll down and tap Advanced.

  5. Tap Website Data. Give it a moment to load the full list.

  6. In the search bar at the top, type airship.

  7. Swipe left on the Airship entry and tap Delete. If you see more than one Airship entry, do this for each of them.

  8. Open Safari again and sign back in to Airship.

If that doesn't work: Clear all of Safari's data

This is a bigger reset. It will sign you out of every website in Safari, not just Airship.

  1. Open the Settings app.

  2. Tap Apps, then tap Safari.

  3. Scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data.

  4. When it asks how much to clear, choose All history and confirm.

  5. Open Safari and sign back in to Airship.

If the Clear History and Website Data option is grayed out and won't let you tap it, your iPad or iPhone may have some restrictions turned on. Reach out to whoever set up your device, or contact support for help.

If you're using Chrome

You can clear Chrome's data from inside the app itself.

  1. Open Chrome.

  2. Tap the three dots (•••) menu. On an iPhone, you'll find it at the bottom-right. On an iPad, it's at the top-right.

  3. Tap Delete Browsing Data.

  4. Where it says Time Range, choose All Time.

  5. Make sure these two items have a checkmark next to them:

    • Cookies, Site Data

    • Cached Images and Files

  6. Tap the red Delete Browsing Data button at the bottom, then tap it again to confirm.

  7. Close Chrome completely (swipe up from the bottom of your screen, then swipe Chrome up and off the screen).

  8. Open Chrome again and sign back in to Airship.

If you're using Edge

Microsoft Edge also lets you clear data from inside the app.

  1. Open Edge.

  2. Tap the three lines (≡) menu at the bottom-right of the screen.

  3. Tap Settings.

  4. Tap Privacy and security.

  5. Tap Delete browsing data.

  6. Where it says Time range, choose All time.

  7. Make sure these two items have a checkmark next to them:

    • Cookies and other site data

    • Cached images and files

  8. Tap Delete data and confirm.

  9. Close Edge completely (swipe up from the bottom of your screen, then swipe Edge up and off the screen).

  10. Open Edge again and sign back in to Airship.

After you're done

Sign back in to Airship. The error should be gone and you should be able to get back to work.

Still seeing the error?

If you've tried everything above and the error keeps showing up, reach out to support.

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