Set up and manage Real Time Check View
About Real Time Check View
Real Time Check View is a checkout experience that displays a live cart panel alongside the item configuration screen. The live cart panel is the central component of this experience — it's the always-visible check summary that updates as you work.
With Real Time Check View, you can:
See your check update instantly as you configure items and modifiers.
Select multiple items in the cart for bulk actions (comp, void, move, remove).
Edit items in place by tapping them in the cart panel.
Keep full visibility of the running total while building orders.
Before you begin
You need a Square Point of Sale app on iOS or Android, Square Register, Square Terminal, or Square Handheld.
Your device must be running the latest version of the Square Point of Sale app.
You must be enrolled in the Real Time Check View open beta via Early Feature Access. Learn how to set up Early Feature Access.
Real Time Check View works with Square KDS — orders sent from the live cart panel are routed the same way as the previous workflow. It also works with coursing — you can hold and fire courses, and the live cart panel displays course groupings and fire status.
Build a check with the live cart
- Open your Square Point of Sale app and navigate to your floor plan or the Checks tab.
- Tap a table or start a new check.
- Tap a menu item to open the item details screen. The live cart panel appears on the right side of the screen.
- Select variations and modifiers for the item. As you make selections, the cart panel updates in real time to reflect your choices and the running total.
- Tap Add to check. The item appears in the cart panel immediately.
- Continue adding items. Each item you configure is reflected in the cart panel as you go.
- When you’re ready, tap Send to send the order to the kitchen or bar.
You need to enable Real Time Check View in your Checkout Settings. From Square Dashboard, go to Devices > Checkout Settings and toggle on Real Time Check View.
- Open your Square Point of Sale app.
- Tap an item from the favorites grid, item library, search, or the cart. The item details screen opens with the live cart panel on the right side of the screen.
- Select variations and modifiers for the item. As you make selections, the cart panel updates in real time to reflect your choices and the running total.
- Tap Done to add the item to the cart.
- Continue adding items. Each item you configure is reflected in the cart panel as you go.
- When you’re ready, proceed to payment.
- To close the item details screen without saving, tap Cancel.
On larger screens, item details appear beside the check instead of covering it. This lets you review the running total while you configure items. The check updates as you make selections — items are only saved after you tap Done.
To access the keypad, tap Actions and select the calculator or add a custom amount. For quicker access, you can add these as tiles to your POS layout. Learn how to organize your menu with Square for Restaurants.
Edit an item from the cart
Tap any item in the live cart panel.
The item details screen updates to show that item's current configuration.
Make your changes (modifiers, quantity, notes, price). The cart panel reflects your edits in real time.
Tap Done to confirm your changes.
You can also swipe on an item to access available quick actions.
If you can't navigate away from an item, it's missing a required selection. Complete the highlighted selection, then tap Done or choose another item.
Use multi-select for bulk actions
You can select multiple items in the live cart panel and apply an action to all of them at once — saving time during busy service.
In the live cart panel, tap and hold any item to enter multi-select mode.
Tap additional items to add them to your selection. Selected items are highlighted.
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A toolbar appears at the bottom of the cart panel with the following actions:
Comp — Removes the charge from all selected items. Select a comp reason when prompted. Use when items are already prepared or delivered but need to be complementary.
Void — Voids all selected items, removing them from both the check and inventory counts. Select a void reason when prompted. Use when items were entered incorrectly and not yet prepared.
Move to Check — Moves all selected items to another course, a new check, or an existing check. Use when reorganizing items between checks or courses.
Move to Seat — Moves all selected items to another seat.
Repeat — Adds the same items to the check again.
Remove — Removes all selected items from the check.
Tap an action and follow the prompts (for example, select a comp reason or choose a destination check).
Tap outside the selection or tap Done to exit multi-select mode.
Note: Bulk actions respect the same permissions as individual actions. Team members need the appropriate comp, void, or checkout permissions. Learn how to set permissions in Square Dashboard.
Manage your item details settings
You can adjust how the item details screen behaves from Modes settings — including tile size and auto-progression. These settings apply to all devices using that mode. Learn how to Manage item details settings.
Real Time Check View is designed for larger screens where item details and the check can appear side by side. On compact devices, item details may appear in a full-screen or focused view, and some display settings may not be available.
Return to the previous checkout experience
Once enrolled, Real Time Check View is turned on by default for your selected locations and devices. For a limited time, you can return to the previous experience from Early Feature Access.
Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to What's new > Early Feature Access.
Find Nested modifiers & Real-time check view and click Manage.
Select either Specific locations or Specific devices > click Next.
Uncheck the relevant locations or devices > click Next.
Click Uninstall.
You can add Real Time Check View again from Early Feature Access while it's available. After the Early Access period ends, it is automatically added as part of an upcoming release.