My Square Reader Keeps Disconnecting

If your Card Reader is repeatedly disconnecting, try checking the following steps below:

1. Your Card Reader may have entered sleep mode. To wake up your reader, press the button on your Reader once and wait a few seconds for it to reconnect. To conserve battery, your Reader will automatically enter sleep mode if it hasn’t taken a payment for 2 hours and the message Press Button on Reader – Learn More will appear in the Square App. Press the button on your reader once and wait for it to reconnect. You should see 1–4 green lights flash depending on your Reader’s battery level.

2. Close and reopen the Square app on your device.

3. Update the Square app.

4. Turn on Bluetooth from your device’s settings. For iOS devices, this can be found in Settings → Bluetooth. Try turning Bluetooth off and back on.

5. Your Card Reader must be within 3 metres of your device. The Bluetooth connection may be out of range and could disconnect.

6. Check that your card reader has adequate battery. Low battery may increase disconnections between your device and card reader. Press the button on your Card Reader once to see the battery level. If you see a blinking red light, that means your Card Reader battery is low and should be charged immediately. If your Card Reader is in a dock, plug the dock’s power cord into an AC outlet.

7. Restart your phone, tablet or other electronic device. You can also first try briefly putting your device into Aeroplane mode.

8. Reset your Reader. Hold down the power button for approximately 20 seconds until you see red lights stop flashing on the Reader.

9. Bluetooth will automatically turn off when your Reader is in a dock connected to a Square Stand by USB cable. Disconnect the USB cable from the Stand or dock and then attempt to pair.

10. Move your Reader away from common sources of Bluetooth interference. This includes common household items such as microwave ovens, cordless phones or fluorescent lights

11. Clear your Bluetooth cache if you have an Android device.

12. See Apple’s article on Bluetooth interference for additional information.