Connect Square Terminal with your Point of Sale
With Square Point of Sale, you can wirelessly connect Square Terminal to any tablet, iPad, or smartphone to make checkout easier for your customers. With the Square Retail App, you can wirelessly connect to any iOS device.
If you’re new to Square Terminal, check out the Square Terminal Guide or visit Square Shop to purchase.
In seconds, you can turn Square Terminal into a dedicated customer display and checkout device. You can also:
Let customers check out anywhere: Keep your POS at the counter and use Square Terminal to let customers pay curbside or tableside.
Sell accurately and minimise errors: Show customers their itemised cart and total before they complete the transaction.
Keep a safe distance: Minimise contact by ringing up a sale via Square POS app or Square Retail app, and then your customer completes the transaction on Square Terminal.
Important to Note
Before getting started, make sure that your Square Terminal, Square POS app, and your phone, iPad or tablet are up to date.
This feature is not yet available with Square Appointments, Square for Restaurants, or Square Invoices apps.
Connect Square Terminal to Square Point of Sale
Watch our YouTube video to learn more about connecting your Square Terminal to your Square POS app:
The Square Point of Sale app can wirelessly connect to one Square Terminal at a time. Keep in mind before you start the setup process:
- Make sure that your iOS or Android device and Square Terminal are connected to a Wi-Fi or Ethernet network. Note: It doesn’t have to be the same network, but both devices must be online.
- If you’re logged in to your Square Terminal, sign out by tapping ≡ More > Settings > Account > Sign out. For a newly purchased Square Terminal device, power it on by pressing the side button and staying on the login page.
To connect Square Terminal to Square Point of Sale:
- From the Square POS app on your iOS or Android device, tap ≡ Menu > Settings > Hardware > Square Terminal.
- Tap Connect Square Terminal.
- Enter a nickname and location to associate with your Square Terminal, then tap Continue. The Square POS app will generate a device code.
- On your Square Terminal, tap Sign in > Use device code.
- Enter the device code on your Square Terminal to complete pairing. Then, tap Sign In.
- You’ll receive a confirmation in-app once you’ve successfully connected your Square Terminal to your device, and Square Terminal will display “Powered by Square.”
- On your device, tap Done to start accepting payments.
Connect Square Terminal to Square for Retail
The Square Retail app can wirelessly connect a compatible iOS iPhone or iPad device to one Square Terminal at a time. Before you start the setup process:
- Make sure that your compatible iOS device and Square Terminal are connected to a Wi-Fi or Ethernet network. Note: The devices do not have to be on the same network, but both devices must be online.
- If you’re logged in to your Square Terminal, sign out by tapping ≡ More > Settings > Account > Sign out. For newly purchased Square Terminal devices, power it on by pressing the side button and staying on the login page.
- Confirm you’re activated a Square for Retail Free or Plus plan.
To connect Square Terminal to the Square Retail app:
- From the Square Retail app on your iOS device, tap ≡ Menu > Settings > Hardware > Square Terminal.
- Tap Connect Square Terminal.
- Enter a nickname and location to associate with your Square Terminal, then tap Continue. The Square Retail app will generate a device code.
- On your Square Terminal, tap Sign in > Use device code.
- Enter the device code on your Square Terminal to complete pairing. Then, tap Sign In.
- You’ll receive a confirmation in-app once you’ve successfully connected your Square Terminal to your device, and Square Terminal will display “Powered by Square.”
- On your iOS device, tap Done to start accepting payments.
Device Codes
Device codes will expire after five minutes. If your device code expires before you complete the pairing process, you'll need to generate a new code by following the same steps again.
Make a note of this device code, and grab your Square Terminal device to begin the next steps. You can reuse this same device code if you ever need to reconnect to your Square Terminal.
Take Payments with Square Terminal
Go to the Checkout page of your Square app.
Build a cart by selecting an item from your Item Library or entering a custom amount, then press Charge. Note: You can enable or restrict your team’s ability to add custom amounts to transactions by going to Permissions > Checkout in your online Square Dashboard.
On the tender screen, tap Continue next to your Square Terminal’s nickname and have your customer complete payment by following the instructions on the Square Terminal.
Note: Split tender functionality is not yet supported on Square Terminal connected with Square Point of Sale app or Square Retail app. To accept split tender payments, connect a Square Reader to your POS device to complete the payment.
Cancel Payments with Square Terminal
If you want to cancel a payment, tap the X on either your Square app or on Square Terminal. You’ll see a notification in the Square app that the buyer has cancelled. You can then confirm the cancellation by tapping X and then Cancel Payment, or you can attempt the checkout again by tapping Try again.
Printing Receipts on the Square Terminal
When you connect your Square Terminal with your Square app, receipts will be printed from your Square Terminal for card payments.
Note: When your customer pays with cash, payments are marked as completed on your Square POS device. As the transaction is not sent to the Square Terminal, the terminal will not print receipts for cash payments. We recommend connecting a supported printer to your Square POS device to print all receipts.
Access Settings on the Square Terminal
From the “Powered by Square” screen on Square Terminal, swipe the screen from the left to reveal the menu that provides access to Checkout, Settings, and Support.
Under Settings, you can configure your:
Network
Display and sound options
Accessibility for talkback or magnification
Printer configurations
Other general settings, including date and time, device names, and language
Disconnect Your Square Terminal
On your POS device, tap Menu, then tap Settings > Hardware > Square Terminal.
Tap Disconnect from this device.
Tap Disconnect to confirm. Square Terminal will disconnect from POS automatically.
Note: If the disconnection fails, Square Terminal will continue to display the “Powered by Square” screen, and you'll need to manually sign out by swiping from the top left side of the Square Terminal screen to reveal the menu, then tap Settings > Sign Out. Tap Sign Out again to confirm.
Troubleshooting
If your Square Terminal loses connection with the connected POS device using Square Point of Sale or Square Retail app, you will need to pair the device again by signing out of the Square Terminal then go through the pairing steps again.
To sign out of the Square Terminal, swipe from left to the middle to open the menu panel, then tap Settings > Sign out.
If your Square Terminal is unresponsive, try rebooting it by holding the power button down for 12 seconds. You will need to generate a new device code on your Square Terminal to sign back in.
Refer to the Square Terminal troubleshooting guide if you’re experiencing issues with your Square Terminal that aren’t related to the Square Terminal display.
With your Square Terminal, cancel the checkout by tapping X and trying again. If your Square Terminal is inaccessible, turned off, logged out, out of battery, or offline, reboot your device to cancel the outstanding payment. You can also cancel the outstanding payment from your Square POS or Square Retail app device.
Square Terminal FAQ
Find answers to common questions about connecting your device to a Square Terminal.
1.75% for each contactless payment, chip and PIN payment, or swiped magstripe card through Square Terminal and the Square Point of Sale or Square for Retail app.
Learn more about Square’s fees.
You can connect your Square Terminal as a customer-facing display to a compatible smartphone, Square Stand, iPad, or tablet. Check your device compatibility.
Square Terminal will connect to the Square Retail app on compatible iOS devices only. Check your device compatibility.
You can connect Square Terminal to the Square Point of Sale app and the Square for Retail app. Square for Restaurants, Square Invoices and Square Appointments are not yet supported.
Yes, you can plug Square Reader into your Square Stand via the dock and connect the Square Terminal to your iPad wirelessly.
Yes. Learn how to connect Square Terminal to Virtual Terminal on your computer.
Once you connect your Square Terminal to a device, it will stay on a “Powered by Square” screen. From there, you’ll be able to change your settings and access support resources. Simply swipe from the left to the middle of the screen to access the menu.
Payments accepted on Square Terminal automatically appear on your online Square Dashboard and sync across all Square devices logged in to your business location.