Get Started with Square KDS for Android
If you are currently using Square KDS on iPads, you will need to migrate your hardware and software in order to continue your team’s access to your kitchen display system. Learn more about this product change and how to prepare for it in our Seller Community.
Square KDS is a kitchen display system that connects with Square for Restaurants, Square for Retail, Square Point of Sale, Square Online, and our online ordering and delivery platforms. Square KDS is included in the Square for Restaurants Plus Subscription or as a standalone KDS subscription.
Get early access to new features and connect with other sellers by joining the Square KDS for Android Beta program.
Set Up Your Hardware
Recommended Devices
Square KDS is compatible with the Android devices listed below.
Check out the devices and mounting hardware available on Square Shop:
If you choose to purchase any hardware from Square Shop, review our setup guide for Microtouch devices and the VESA mount.
Compatible hardware available from third party sellers:
Note: Square KDS is not available on Android phones. If you choose to use the app on a device not listed above, we cannot guarantee the quality of how Square KDS will appear on your device and we will prioritize any bug support to the devices listed above. For this reason, we recommend using one of the supported devices listed above.
If you prefer an Android device not listed above, share your feedback in our Android KDS Feedback Survey.
Reminder: Keep the OS updated on your Android device.
Device Mounts
You can mount your device on a wall, but avoid areas close to flames, greasy foods, or splashing water. The VESA mount (available on Square Shop) supports MicroTouch and Elo devices.
If you purchase a 10” Lenovo Tab or Samsung Galaxy Tab, you may want to purchase a device holder, such as these Lenovo cases or Galaxy Tab cases.
Disclaimer: Block, Inc. is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers and third-party resellers linked above. This is a suggestion for your convenience.
Download the App
Open the Google Play Store app on your device.
Tap the search field and search for Square KDS.
Tap Install.
Create a Square KDS Login
To create a device code for your Android device:
Go to your online Square Dashboard and select Devices > Kitchen Settings > Kitchen Displays.
Click Add a Kitchen Display.
Enter a nickname and select a location.
Select if you want the device to be a Prep or Expeditor station.
Click Next.
Select whether to have your code sent via email or phone number and click Send. You’ll need this code to sign in to the Square KDS app.
Station Types
Square KDS offers two types of stations to help streamline your kitchen fulfillment. To start using Square KDS, you'll need to choose the type of station you need:
Preparation (Prep) station: best for kitchen staff who focus on preparing a certain piece of each order, require less interaction with the overall ticket and need a granular view of only the items they need to make.
Expeditor (Expo) station: best for kitchen staff who bridge front-of-house and back-of-house operations, finalize orders to be delivered to diners, need high-level visibility and control over prep stations, and require more interaction across every ticket.
You can choose one station or multiple stations for each type and adjust your station types whenever you need. Both station types sync and communicate with one another in real time.
Note: Since Square KDS is location-specific, it will display every ticket taken from that location. You’ll be able to filter items and/or tickets by category, order source, or dining option.
| Station Setting | Prep Station | Expo Station |
|---|---|---|
| Set layouts | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Set yellow and red timers | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| View all orders | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| View All Day counts | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Route based on category configuration | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Recall tickets | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Clear all tickets | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| View completed items and tickets from Prep stations | ✖️ | ✔️ |
| Marking items and tickets as complete will also complete them at all prep stations. | ✖️ | ✔️ |
| For online orders, marking a ticket as complete will update the order state to “Ready”. | ✖️ | ✔️ |
| Recall completed tickets back to the expo station or to both the expo and prep station | ✖️ | ✔️ |
| Mark items as Sold Out (86ing) | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Set up kitchen-specific categories and filter by dining options | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Prioritize a ticket to the front of queue (for all stations) | ✖️ | ✔️ |
| Print tickets manually or autoprint on completion or when tickets are received | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Set Up the Square KDS App for Android
Square KDS displays items based on the categories you assign. To assign categories:
- Open Square KDS and tap ≡ to open the menu.
- Tap the gear icon to view your settings.
- Tap Routing.
- Tap Items & categories.
- Toggle on the categories that you want to display.
Learn more about creating item categories.
With Square KDS, you can toggle different layouts based on your preferred text size and the amount of tickets you want displayed. To adjust your layout settings:
- Open Square KDS and tap ≡ to open the menu.
- Tap the gear icon to view your settings.
- Tap Layout.
- Select your text size.
- Select your preferred layout.
To enable alerts and timers on your display:
- Open Square KDS and tap ≡ to open the menu.
- Tap the gear icon to view your settings.
- Tap Timer & Alerts.
- Select the timeframe for yellow and red alerts.
Set up which orders go to a prep station based on the item categories, Kitchen Categories, order source (i.e. POS and online), and Dining Options. Review our setup instructions for routing orders with Square KDS.
Connect a printer to your KDS to print order tickets for your customers for in-person, delivery and pickup orders. You can manually print or autoprint when a ticket is received or completed. Learn more about printing with Square KDS.
KDS Reporting
You can view your Square KDS reports on your online Square Dashboard. The Kitchen Performance report shows your completed ticket count, average completed ticket time, and average item completion time across all tickets by KDS device name, location, and timeframe.
To view your Square KDS report:
Go to Reporting or Reports on your Square Dashboard.
Click Kitchen performance and select a device.
Select Ticket performance to view the average completion time per ticket, or select Item performance to view the average completion time for all items, ranked in quantity from highest to lowest.
Select your preferred timeframe and filter at the top of the report.
The completed ticket metric is based on the device where the ticket was completed. The ticket time is calculated by subtracting the time the ticket appeared on KDS from the time the ticket is marked as completed. The item time is calculated by subtracting the time the item appeared on KDS from the time the item is marked as completed.
Troubleshooting
If Square KDS is not connecting with Square for Restaurants or Square for Retail:
Check to make sure you are using the most recent version of the Square Restaurants POS app or Square Retail POS app and the Square KDS app.
Check that your operating system is up to date on your device.
Go to Settings on your KDS app to double-check that your preferred item categories are enabled and that the correct items are in the selected item categories.
Go to Settings on your KDS app to check that your preferred orders are enabled.
Restart the Square KDS app.
Take a trial order to double-check that your KDS is properly receiving orders from the Point of Sale.
Note: Your KDS device automatically connects to Point of Sale, as long as your KDS is created for the same location as your Point of Sale device. All setup is configured in your Dashboard and in the KDS app.
Get early access to new features and connect with other sellers by joining the Square KDS for Android Beta program.