General guidelines for action items synchronization behavior

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated June 1, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of General guidelines for action items synchronization behavior

    This guide provides essential best practices for managing action item synchronization within the ServiceNow mobile app, focusing on offline mode usage, syncing behavior, conflict handling, and timestamp management. Understanding these guidelines helps ensure a smooth, consistent user experience when working with action items both online and offline.

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    Key Features

    • Turning Off Offline Mode and Syncing: Users can disable offline mode via Settings > Offline or by selecting "Sync all" from the outbox. Confirming "Go Online and Sync" uploads all pending actions to the instance.
    • Action Sequencing: Offline actions are queued in the order they occur and synced sequentially once connectivity is restored, maintaining consistency with the user's original workflow.
    • Handling Failed Syncs: Failed sync actions are marked with errors without automatic retries, while other queued actions continue syncing in order.
    • Conflict Resolution: Conflict detection and resolution are managed server-side by administrators. The mobile app sends both changes and action timestamps to the server. Validation errors surface in the outbox for user correction on the device.
    • Simultaneous Offline and Desktop Use: Records are not locked during offline use. The mobile app enforces the same business rules as the desktop, ensuring consistent behavior and no additional restrictions.
    • Timestamp Handling: Offline updates retain the original action order and timestamp. Custom fields can store the offline action timestamp, whereas system fields like syscreatedon and sysupdatedon reflect the sync time, not the offline action time.

    Key Outcomes

    • Users can confidently perform and sync offline actions without losing sequence or data integrity.
    • Administrators maintain control over conflict resolution, ensuring data consistency and accuracy.
    • The mobile app behavior aligns with desktop business rules, creating a unified experience across platforms.
    • Timestamps accurately reflect action times for custom fields, supporting audit and tracking needs.

    When working with action items keep these general guidelines in mind for usability and a good user experience.

    Turning off offline mode and syncing the outbox
    To turn off offline mode and sync pending actions, use one of the following options:
    • Navigate to Settings > Offline in the mobile app and toggle Offline Mode to off. Alternatively, tap Sync all from the outbox items list.
    • When prompted in a pop-up, select Go Online and Sync to upload any pending changes from the outbox.
    Action sequencing in the outbox
    Write-back actions performed while offline are queued in the outbox in the order they were triggered. Once connectivity is restored, actions sync to the instance in the same sequence, ensuring consistency with the order in which they were performed.
    Failed sync actions
    If a specific action fails during sync, it is marked with an error and is not retried automatically. Other queued actions continue to sync in the order they were performed.
    Conflict resolution for offline updates
    Conflict handling is not managed automatically by the mobile app. The administrator is responsible for detecting and resolving conflicts on the server side. When a user performs actions offline, the mobile client sends both the changes and the timestamp of the action to the instance.

    For actions such as input forms, if server validation fails or additional input is required, the business rule error message is surfaced in the Outbox, allowing users to review and correct the issue directly on their device.

    Simultaneous offline and desktop use
    Records aren't locked out when using offline mode. The mobile app follows the same business rules as the desktop experience and does not introduce any additional restrictions. For example, users can still add comments or work notes to an incident that has been resolved, unless a business rule explicitly prevents it. In such cases, offline mode respects those rules, ensuring consistent behavior across platforms.
    Timestamp handling for offline updates
    When a user performs updates offline, each action is queued in the Outbox and synced to the instance in the original order once connectivity is restored, preserving the sequence and uniqueness of each status update. The timestamp of each offline action is captured and stored as a parameter of the action. During writeback action processing, this timestamp can be written into any desired field, allowing the system to reflect the actual time the action occurred offline.
    Take account of the following behavior for system fields:
    • Custom fields can be configured to store the original offline action timestamp.
    • Out-of-box system fields, such as sys_created_on and sys_updated_on, always reflect the integration timestamp, which is the moment the record was synced to the instance, not the original offline action time.