Troubleshoot charging on Square Reader for contactless and chip
Square Reader for contactless and chip (1st and 2nd generation) takes around 2 hours to charge completely from a low battery. Battery life varies with use, but a fully charged Square Reader for contactless and chip (1st and 2nd generation) should stay powered through a full business day of accepting payments.
When Square Reader for contactless and chip is connected to a power source and charging correctly, you’ll see 4 orange LEDs on top of the reader light up in quick succession twice in a row. Then, the LEDs should flash to show the battery level.
Learn how to set up Square Reader for contactless and chip.
This article provides troubleshooting for your Square Reader for contactless and chip to address charging issues. Refer to our Troubleshoot Bluetooth pairing on Square Reader for contactless and chip guide for connection issues.
Before you begin troubleshooting
When to troubleshoot
Battery life on Square Reader for contactless and chip troubleshooting involves steps that include checking your power source, testing a different power source, and rebooting your Square Reader. If at all possible, try to troubleshoot your Square Reader after hours. If you must troubleshoot during the workday, try to avoid peak busy hours so your customers will experience few delays.
Identify your Square Reader
Square Reader for contactless and chip (1st generation) has three versions:
- Square Reader for contactless and chip (1st generation, v1)
- Square Reader for contactless and chip (1st generation, v2)
- Square Reader for contactless and chip (1st generation, v3)
Square Reader for contactless and chip (1st generation) has a micro USB charging port and the power button is to the left of the port.
Step 1: Check your power source and test a different power source
Make sure Square Reader is firmly plugged into a grounded AC outlet or into the USB hardware hub of your Square Stand.
Try plugging the power adapter into a different outlet.
Test a different USB (Micro USB or USB-C) cable and leave it plugged in for at least five minutes to see if your Square Reader powers on and begins charging.
Step 2: Reset your Square Reader
Charge your Square Reader for at least 20 minutes.
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While Square Reader is charging, use your finger or a small object like a hair pin, pen cap, or paper clip to firmly press and hold the button on your Square Reader for 20 seconds.
After 20 seconds, release the button and wait 10 seconds. Do not let go of the power button until after the red lights have stopped flashing.
Press the button again to turn your Square Reader on and observe any lights on Square Reader.
If Square Reader lights turn on, you’re all set. If the lights don’t turn on, try again. Make sure to firmly press and hold Square Reader’s button for a full 20 seconds. Do not let go of the power button until after the red lights have stopped flashing.
Try charging your Square Reader before moving on to Step 3.
Step 3: Factory reset your Square Reader
Performing a factory reset will bring your Square Reader back to its original out-of-box state and will require you to pair the reader to your mobile device. A factory reset takes 10-15 minutes to complete and should only be performed after all other troubleshooting steps have been attempted.
Forget your Square Reader from the Square POS app and your device’s Bluetooth settings:
Open your Square POS app and tap ≡ More > Settings > Hardware > Square Readers.
Tap Forget this Reader to unpair the reader.
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Open the Settings app on your device, tap Bluetooth, and locate your Square Reader.
From an iOS device, tap (i) > Forget This Device.
From an Android device, tap Forget or Unpair.
Factory reset your Square Reader:
Hold the reader button down for 20 seconds. Do not release the button until the red lights stop flashing.
To start the reader, push and hold the button until green LED lights come on, then release the button.
Once again, hold the reader button down for 20 seconds. Do not release the button until the red lights stop flashing. It's important to do this within 30 seconds of restarting the reader.
Start the reader a second time; push and hold the button until green LED lights come on, then release the button.
After the second reboot, the reader will have performed a factory reset. The reader’s LEDs will blink green once again (without pressing the reader button) to indicate that the reset was successful.
Once the factory reset is complete, try to charge your reader.