Set up Square KDS
About Square KDS
Square KDS is a kitchen display system that connects with Square Point of Sale, Square Online, Square for Restaurants, and third-party ordering and delivery platforms. Square KDS is included in the Square for Restaurants Plus Subscription or as a standalone KDS subscription.
Before you begin
Square has different screen-size devices available for purchase on Square Shop and is compatible with the Android devices listed below:
If you choose to use a different device, we cannot guarantee the quality of how Square KDS will appear on your device and bug support for the devices listed above will be prioritized.
For the most optimal experience using Square KDS, we recommend a device that meets these minimum requirements:
Has at least 3 GB of RAM
Google Play Store enabled
Running AndroidOS 9 or above
Select a device with the most recent OS version that your vendor provides, when given an option. If you prefer an Android device not listed above, share your feedback in the Android KDS Feedback Survey.
You can create two types of KDS devices:
Preparation (Prep): 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): best for kitchen staff who bridge front-of-house and back-of-house operations, finalise orders to be delivered to diners, need high-level visibility and control over prep stations, and require more interaction across every ticket.
You have two options for each KDS device type (Expo or Prep) for completing and recalling orders from your Square KDS app:
-
Expeditor (Expo) device:
Complete for all devices: Complete or recall a ticket or item from an individual KDS device, which will complete or recall the ticket/item at all other Expo and Prep stations at the same location.
Complete only on this device: Complete or recall a ticket or item from an individual KDS device, which will complete or recall the ticket/item only on that device.
-
Preparation (Prep) device:
Complete for all devices: Complete or recall a ticket or item from an individual KDS device, which will complete or recall the ticket/item at all other Prep stations at the same location.
-
Complete only on this device: Complete or recall a ticket or item from an individual KDS device, which will complete or recall the ticket/item only on that device.
Example: Your steak house has separate KDS for grilling the steak and cooking the garnish/vegetables. With this feature, the grill cook can complete the ticket for a steak, and the vegetable cook will still be able to complete its garnish.
Device mounts
If you choose a device with a larger screen, such as the MicroTouch, you can mount your device to a wall using an optional arm mount (sold separately on Shop), or pair it with a 100 x 100 mm VESA® compatible mounting device.
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 in the Seller Community and how to migrate to Android from Square KDS on iOS.
Step 1: Create a Square KDS device code
Sign in to your Square Dashboard and click Settings > Device Management.
Click Device codes > Create.
Enter the number of device codes you want to create and click Next.
Click Kitchen display system and choose Prep or Expeditor.
Select Complete for all devices or Complete only on this device depending on how you want to complete orders or recall tickets for this device and click Next.
If applicable, select a location from the dropdown menu and click Next.
Enter the device code name and click Create.
Click Done.
Step 2: Download the Square KDS app and sign in
Open the Google Play Store app on your device.
Tap the search field and search for Square KDS.
Tap Install.
Sign into the Square KDS using your device code.
Step 3: Set your KDS layout
You can configure your layout to best serve your kitchen workflows by toggling different layouts based on your preferred text size and the amount of tickets you want displayed.
- Sign in to your Square Dashboard and click Settings > Device management, then click Devices.
- Select your device then, next to Assigned device profiles, click Manage.
- Click Layout.
- Toggle ON your preferred Ticket layout and number of Columns, then select your Text size.
- Click Save.
Step 4: Set timers & alerts
You can customise ticket timers and alerts.
- Sign in to your Square Dashboard and click Settings > Device management, then click Devices.
- Select your device then, next to Assigned device profiles, click Manage.
- Click Timers & alerts.
- Set the times after your Yellow timer and Red timer activate by clicking minutes next to them.
- Toggle ON/OFF Play sound when new tickets arrive.
- Click Save.