Q&A: Ask us anything about Square Hardware

[tranguyen]

Hello Seller Community!

Join us on Tuesday, October 19th at 4PM BST for a Q&A with the Square Hardware team.

Ask us about Square Hardware

We’ll be joined by Udo Kaja and Chloe Corleto who are Product Marketing Managers on the Hardware team. Together, they will be online to answer all your questions about Square Hardware. 

You can browse all Square Hardware here. 

A few example questions:

• Can I connect my Terminal to multiple printers?

• How can customers enter their pin on my reader?

Whether you are using just the Square Reader, have a full setup with Square Register, or are just starting out and unsure which hardware will suit your business needs, this will be a great chance to get your questions answered about our hardware range and share your feedback with us! Think about existing Square hardware - what would be the most important enhancements or features for you?

How does a Q&A work?

Ask your questions ahead of time below in this thread and we’ll answer every question on Tuesday, October 19th, 2021! 

Please note: There will be no recording of the event as it is text-based. All the replies can be read and discovered on this thread after the event has ended!

Note on account-specific questions: For your privacy and security, we are not able to address issues related to specific account status details in our public forums. If you need account assistance, please contact our Customer Success team and they'll be able to take a deeper dive.

Q&A: Ask us anything about Square Hardware

[Colsey25]

can you export menu to another account

[udo]

Hey @Colsey25, thanks for your question! You can export and transfer your item library between Square accounts (here are the step on how to do it) but it isn’t possible to copy the exact Menu setup from one account to another.

[ma10]

square terminal

2 QUESTIONS,

• Currently when a customer transaction is declined, a message pops on screen to warn. is it possible to add a sound tone to it?
• Is it possible to print from a receipt printer attached to epos system or a network printer?

Thanks

[udo]

Thanks for your questions @ma10!

• When a payment is declined, the Terminal does make a noise. Under Settings > Sounds, you can configure the Terminal’s volume to make sure it’s audible.
• You can connect supported printers to the Terminal and configure the Printer Station so that receipts can  instead be printed out by external printers. 

[Twiggy]

Have you considered a wrist strap for card reader -  for staff? now contactless limit is £100? 

[udo]

Hey @Twiggy, that’s a great suggestion! We’re always keen to learn about ways we can improve our products, so we'll take it on board! In case you have an iPad and are interested, there’s an iPad and Square Reader case that you can take a look at on our website.

About the contactless limit - we're aware of the contactless limit increasing in the UK. Square is working to gradually roll out the ability for customers to make contactless card payments for up to £100 with Visa, Mastercard and American Express branded cards. This work started last Thursday (October 14th) and we expected it to be fully released in the coming weeks.

[Twiggy]

What would you recommend for someone starting a new business without bricks and mortar /Wi-Fi ?

[udo]

That's a great question, @Twiggy! The Square Terminal is the easiest one for businesses without a bricks and mortar store and you can connect it to a WiFi dongle or hotspot on your mobile to process payments. It’s also a standalone device so you don’t need to connect it to a tablet to run it and you can print out receipts and order tickets with it too!

Alternatively, if you need a card reader for more ad hoc occasions, you might be fine with using the Square Reader with your own phone or tablet.

[Twiggy]

I’ve got a printer in my unit - can i set up this printer to work or does it have to be a bluetooth printer?

[udo]

This will depend on which Square Hardware you're looking to connect to @Twiggy. You can check the printer compatibility by device in our Support Centre here or if you have the model name, let us know and we can check this for you!

[Twiggy]

What hardware would you recommend for someone who only works with mobile IOS or Android devices.

[udo]

My advice would be to go for what you are comfortable with and start with the basics first. For example, you can start with Square Reader, which is the most flexible piece of hardware as it can be used with both mobile iOS devices and supported Android devices @Twiggy. As your business grows, you can add more hardware as you need as well, from receipt printers to barcode scanners

[Twiggy]

What is the best way to clean sanitise your reader and terminal ?

[udo]

Thanks for your question @Twiggy! Here are resources on how to clean your hardware, including the Square Reader and Square Terminal.

[Twiggy]

Does square register have access to the internet or is it a stand alone cash register>

[udo]

The Square Register doesn’t have built-in WiFi or SIM card so it needs to be connected to local WiFi networks (or, if there is no WiFi, you can connect it to your mobile data service like 3G/4G) to take payments as well. 

The Register has its own operating system as well so while internet browsing and Android or iOS apps are not available, the system is already integrated with the Square Point of Sale app, Square for Restaurant Free and Square for Retail on the Register.

[lovelipbalm]

Hi,

1. Will square terminal ever be able to integrate with square POS app? I am aware you can use virtual terminal. But this takes time to load, you can't print receipts from your device or view transactions tab when in this mode.

2. It would be good to have a way of controlling the terminal from a separate device, just basic commands but this then stops you having to use the terminal if you have it set up as a customer facing display.

3. Being able to choose to print a receipt on the terminal from your phone and/or show the receipt screen on the terminal when your record a cash payment.

4. Being able to enter text into text box modifiers you have set up for square online on the terminal.

5. Having a built in web browser, as I would like to connect my terminal to public wifi but this requires online sign in to connect.

[udo]

Thanks for all your questions and feedback @lovelipbalm! 

1. You can now wirelessly connect your Square Terminal to the Square Point of Sale app. With this, you can send payments from your app to the Terminal and print out receipts as well. 
2. Can you give us a bit more information about your use case here? That way, we can suggest some workarounds that can help in the meantime.
3. The new connected Terminal and Square Point of Sale app feature can help with printing receipts, as you’ll be able to send payments from your Point of Sale app to the Terminal. About showing the receipt screen when you record a cash payment - you should see this screen after all payments on the Terminal. It’s worth checking under Settings > Receipts that the option to Skip Receipt Screen is disabled (toggle to grey).
4. At the moment, text box modifiers aren't available with the Square Point of Sale app yet but we’ll be sure to share this with the appropriate team for consideration.
5. I can see how it’d be really useful to have a built-in web browser so it’s something we’ll share with the wider team. For security purposes, the Square Terminal does have certain network requirements and connecting over public access points may introduce more risk as compared to secured networks.

[lovelipbalm]

thanks for your reply.

1. That’s a great feature now. Thanks!

2. It was mainly because I couldn't use the pos app with terminal but now I can it doesn’t matter.

3. When your record a cash payment on the app it doesn’t display a receipt screen on the terminal. Even if it’s connected and when the terminal is in this mode you cannot access the transaction screen to print one.

thanks 

[storyhouse]

We have just started using the Square Register and two of our staff get migraines and the screen is painful for them to look at. Is there a blue light filter option or dark mode?