Firestore offline error even after trying everything

[nely679]

Category: Google AI Studio / Firebase

I've been stuck on this for days. My Firestore database is reporting "offline" in my app, even though:

· The REST API works (I get a 200 response)
· Firestore API is enabled
· Security rules are public
· API key has no restrictions
· I added experimentalForceLongPolling: true
· Internet is fine (tested on different networks)

Yet my app still says: "Failed to get document because the client is offline"

Has anyone solved this? What am I missing?

[ushxyuki]

It sounds like the REST API is working, but the Firestore client SDK is not successfully reaching the Firestore backend transport layer.

A few things I would check:

1. Make sure experimentalForceLongPolling or experimentalAutoDetectLongPolling is set before Firestore is used anywhere else in the app.

For the modular web SDK, it should be initialized like this:

import { initializeApp } from "firebase/app";
import { initializeFirestore } from "firebase/firestore";

const app = initializeApp(firebaseConfig);

export const db = initializeFirestore(app, {
  experimentalAutoDetectLongPolling: true,
  // or:
  // experimentalForceLongPolling: true,
});

If getFirestore(app) is called anywhere before this, the setting may not apply.

2. Try clearing the browser/app cache and IndexedDB storage for the site, then reload the app.

In Chrome DevTools:

Application → Storage → Clear site data

3. Check the Network tab for blocked Firestore requests.

Look for requests to Firestore/WebChannel endpoints. If they are pending, blocked, cancelled, or failing, the issue is likely network transport related rather than Firestore rules.

4. Try forcing a server read to confirm whether it is cache/offline related:

import { doc, getDocFromServer } from "firebase/firestore";

const ref = doc(db, "collectionName", "documentId");
const snap = await getDocFromServer(ref);
console.log(snap.exists(), snap.data());

5. Double-check that the Firebase config belongs to the same project where Firestore is enabled.

REST working can still happen if the client app is using a different projectId, appId, or API key than expected.

If all of those are correct, I would suspect a browser/network transport issue with the Firestore SDK rather than security rules, because public rules and a working REST response usually point away from permissions.