Below we share a few reasons why some apps require MBs, internet connection or mobile data to work.
Client-Server architecture
Smartphone apps usually follow a Client-Server architecture. The application on your smartphone is the client. It contains some of the information and resources required to operate. However, most of the logic is stored in a remote server. Consequently, the app must connect to the internet to access the said logic, so it works perfectly. Two decades ago, software application with a lot of visuals and computations came packed and delivered on DVDs. However, some apps today are just a small representation of the whole software package. The smarts and heavy lifting computations are stored in a remote server that constantly communicates with the application on your mobile device. Social media apps like Whatsapp, Facebook and others have resources that help transmit the messages to other people stored on the servers. Therefore, you need an internet connection to successfully send a message. Also, some games like Clash of clans require an internet connection.
Ads in Free Apps
However, even some free apps that can function properly offline may refuse to work without mobile data or an internet connection. This is because their developers earn from the apps that display in these apps. To display the ads, these free apps need an internet connection. The developer can choose to limit the app to only work when it can connect to the internet, even if there is no real resources needed on the internet.
Update requirements
Some developers want their apps to function at the most recent versions. These apps attempt to search for updates before running. If there is no internet connection, the app may not function properly of completely fail to work.
