Offline state is clearly communicated to users

Without a visible offline indicator, users cannot distinguish between a live response and stale cached data, so they act on outdated inventory, prices, messages, or bookings and then blame the app when their changes silently fail to reach the server. This erodes trust fast on flaky cellular connections, drives one-star reviews tied to 'lost my data,' and undermines the user-experience taxon by hiding a critical system state. Support tickets spike because users assume a hang is a crash.

Render a persistent banner at the top of your root navigator that subscribes to @react-native-community/netinfo (or the browser navigator.onLine event) and appears whenever connectivity drops. Place the component in App.tsx or your top-level layout, include the text 'You are offline — changes will sync when connection returns,' and ensure it is announced to screen readers via accessibilityLiveRegion.

{!isOnline && (
  <View accessibilityLiveRegion="polite" style={styles.offlineBar}>
    <Text>You are offline. Changes will sync when connection returns.</Text>
  </View>
)}