Troubleshoot the Square point of sale apps
When the point of sale apps are working correctly, you’ll be able to successfully process payments and navigate the apps. This article provides troubleshooting to address crashing, frozen screen, and other issues on your mobile device (iOS or Android) for the following Square apps:
Square Point of Sale app
Square Retail POS app
Square Restaurant POS app
Square Appointments POS app
Square Invoices app
Before you begin
To troubleshoot the point of sale apps, you may need the following:
Wi-Fi network login information
Apple ID password
Device passcode
Square account login information (device code or email address and password)
When to troubleshoot
Square app troubleshooting involves steps that include force quitting the app, deleting and reinstalling the app, and powering off your mobile POS device. If at all possible, try to troubleshoot your point of sale apps after hours. If you must troubleshoot during the workday, try to avoid peak busy hours so your customers will experience few delays.
Step 1: Enable location services and other permissions
The geo-location or GPS on your mobile device must be turned on at all times when using Square. Square needs to know where transactions take place to reduce the risks associated with those transactions and to minimise payment disputes. Location services is a setting controlled from your device’s general settings, not within the point of sale app.
- Close out of the point of sale app.
- Open the Settings app on your device.
- Tap Privacy & Security > Location Services.
- Toggle on Location Services.
- From here, you can also control which individual applications have access to location data. Learn more on Apple’s support site.
- Close out of the point of sale app.
- Swipe down from the top of your device’s home screen.
- Touch and hold Location.
- Tap Edit.
- Toggle on Location.
- From here, you can also control which individual applications have access to location data. Learn more on Google’s support site.
Depending on how you use the Square apps, you may also need to make sure certain permissions are turned on from your mobile device. The following permissions allow your device to communicate with the app and process payments:
Microphone: Some Square Readers use the microphone connection built into your headset jack to communicate payment card data to your device.
Camera: To upload your account logo, profile images, and item images.
Contacts: The app pulls in your contacts when you create mobile invoices.
Manage Calls (Android): To connect the Square Reader to your Android device.
Bluetooth (iOS): To connect Bluetooth devices to the Square app on iOS.
Local Network (iOS): To connect network printers to the Square app on your iOS device.
Learn more about how Square protects your information.
Step 2: Update your iOS or Android software and the Square apps
Make sure that both your mobile device (iOS or Android) and the Square app software is up to date. The steps below may vary depending on your Android or iOS device and version.
Update operating system software:
- Plug your device into a power source.
- From the device’s home screen, tap Settings > General > Software Update.
- Tap Install Now.
- Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the update.
- For more information on updating your iOS device, visit Apple’s Support site.
Update the Square app software from the App Store:
- Open the App Store on your iOS device.
- Tap your profile icon in the top-right corner and scroll down to see pending updates.
- Tap Update All to update all apps on your device, or locate the point of sale app and tap Update.
- You can also search your point of sale app and tap Update.
Update Android software:
- Open the Settings app on your Android device.
- Tap About > System Updates or Software Updates. If you don’t see Advanced, tap About phone.
- The process to update software is different for each Android device. Instructions for updating software on your specific device should be available on Google’s Android Support page.
Update the point of sale apps software on an Android device using Google Play:
- Open the Google Play app and tap My games and apps.
- Locate and tap the Square app > tap Update.
Step 3: Force quit the Square POS app
- Go to the home screen on your device.
- Swipe up from the bottom of the device. If your device has a home button, double press that instead.
- This will bring up a carousel of all the open windows on your device.
- Swipe left or right and locate the Square POS app.
- Swipe up on the Square POS app. It will disappear from the carousel.
- Reopen the Square POS app.
- Close one app: Swipe up from the bottom, hold, then let go. Swipe up on the app.
- Close all apps: Swipe up from the bottom, hold, then let go. Swipe from left to right. On the left, tap Clear all.
- Close all apps on Android Go: Swipe up from the bottom, hold, and let go. At the bottom, tap Clear all.
-
Stop apps working in the background:
- To open Quick Settings, from the top of the screen, swipe down twice.
- To see the number of active apps running in the background:
- At the bottom left, tap # active apps.
- Or, at the bottom right, tap the number next to Settings and Power.
- To close each active app, tap Stop.
Even if you don’t close apps, you won’t run out of memory or battery. Android manages these automatically.
Step 4: Send support ledger
Square Support may ask you to submit a support ledger for further troubleshooting. Support ledgers contain essential logs that help us diagnose and resolve issues faster.
Open the Square app on the device experiencing issues.
Tap ≡ More > Support > Troubleshooting.
Tap Send/Upload Support Ledger.
Step 5: Sign out of the Square app and turn off your device
You will not be able to sign out of the Square apps if you have pending offline payments.
Open the point of sale app and tap ≡ More.
Scroll down and tap Sign out > This device only > Sign out.
Power your mobile device off and then back on.
Open the Square app and sign back in.
Step 6: Delete and reinstall the Square app
Deleting and reinstalling the app will have no impact on your Square account or completed payments, and none of your data will be lost, because it’s stored on Square’s servers. See Apple’s support site and Google's support site for instructions.
Once you’ve deleted the app, you can access all of your account information by reinstalling and logging back in to your account with your existing email address and password.