Can you pair the card reader with multiple devices at the same time?

[LeapFrog]

[Edit: The title of this post has been updated by a moderator for clarity.]

We are using the square at a trade show to sell fishing trips and t-shirts.  I have the software loaded on my S8 and also on my wife's S7.  The problem we have is knowing which of our phones are paired with the device (occasionaly neither, requiring a wake-up button press).  Without easily knowing which phone is connected, we can't check out the customer quickly and efficiently.  If one of us leaves our booth for a few minutes (Murphy's Law - it's the one that is paired) we have trouble dropping and pairing with the phone in the booth.

I guess I could purchase another device, but we are expanding and will soon be adding a couple other employees to the booth which would double the issue.

Thanks in advance for the help!!!

Bill

[Helen · Accepted solution]

@LeapFrog It's not possible to connect one contactless and chip card reader to multiple devices at the same time so I understand the predicament you're in! A couple of tips that might help:

You can check that the reader is connected to a phone from the settings section of the app. Tap Settings > Card Readers. 

Additionally, when you open the app, if the reader is paired with your device you should see 'Reader Ready' at the top of the screen. (This video shows what 'Reader Ready' looks like.)

The reader shouldn't disconnect from a device unless you move 10 feet or more away from it or if you don't use it for 2 hours (the reader will go into sleep mode).

If you're expanding you could consider sharing a tablet to process sales! 

[BirdWoman]

When did you stop allowing multiple users share the same reader?

[isabelle]

We didn't @BirdWoman. What reader is giving you trouble? 

[MarkL22]

Hi, is this still the best answer, 2+ years later, or has anything changed with the Square service, readers or platform since then? 

Thanks,

Mark

[Laurie_]

Hi @MarkL22 thanks for reaching out here.

The contactless + chip Square Reader can only be connected to one device at a time. Adding the ability to connect the Square Reader to multiple devices at a time is not on our roadmap. 

Should you require additional POS devices, you will need to purchase additional card readers to connect to those devices.

[BulldogBrew]

I have two separate locations with 7-10 employees that can log in and utilize the til app.  The issue we have is at our second location, the chip reader will not work unless I log in myself, it will not allow any of the others on staff to use the chip reader all the other functions work fine just the chip reader will not work unless I log in under my username?

[isabelle]

Hey @BulldogBrew-

Thanks for posting in the Seller Community.

As of right now, only one device can be connected to a Contactless + Chip Reader at a time. Take a look at the best answer this this thread for more insight. 

[beth1]

Can I have TWO smart phones paired to a single contactless reader?

[Valentina]

I moved your post over to a thread where @Helen answered this question. It's not possible to pair the Square Reader for contactless and chip with multiple devices at the same time.

If you will have two people sharing a reader, you would want to disconnect one phone before pairing the other. I hope this helps, @beth1!

[Robert4405]

How do i go about adding a user to be able to use my card reader? 

[ashc]

Hi @Robert4405,

I moved your post to an existing thread where this question has been answered.

Readers are universal- however, only the magstripe readers. The Contactless + Chip reader can only be connected to one device at a time. 

[Jlineerose]

Can my friend and i, who are going to be sharing a table at a market, use the same TAP card reader for two different Square accounts?

So, to clarify, we would each have our own cell phone, logged into our separate accounts, both using the same tap card reader at the same time (taking turns). Is that possible?

[Valentina · Accepted solution]

This is technically possible, but you'll want to consider how often you would be switching @Jlineerose.

Your Square Reader for contactless and chip can only be connected to one device at a time, so you'll have to go through the unpairing and pairing process each time one of you needs to use the reader for their account using their device. If you plan on accepting many payments rather quickly, I wouldn't recommend sharing a reader. See @Helen's post here for more on this.

Keep in mind that if you are reconnecting a reader that was previously paired to a different device, you may need to forget your reader from the device it was previously paired with. For more information on reconnecting a reader, check out this troubleshooting page.

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