Dashboard session timeout

[llij96]

Within the last week or so, Dashboard started logging me out after a period of inactivity.  This is annoying as I'm used to being logged in all day and coming back to it as needed, and now I have to log back in MANY times a day.  Is there a way to turn this off or adjust in settings or is this a bug?

[MackenzieK · Accepted solution]

Mackenzie here from the Product Insights team – I definitely hear the frustration in the thread, and agree that this change could have been handled better. Although from one perspective we've fixed the bug that kept everybody logged in indefinitely, I completely understand how the bug resulted in new workflows that you relied on – workflows that were disrupted when we implemented a fix without warning you ahead of time.

Your account security is our top concern, and we're always evaluating how to balance safety with experience. I hear your desire for customization, and I've let our product management team know so they can track the request. For now, we'll probably be leaving the timeout as-is, so I recommend using one of the password tools mentioned elsewhere on the thread to help make the experience a little more convenient.

Thanks again for your patience and feedback.

[Nigel_LC · Accepted solution]

If you are using Firefox the 'Auto Reload Tab' extension by Alan Ramsey may help:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/auto-reload-tab/

The extension allows you to set a time interval, after which, the page will be reloaded,

keeping the session kept alive. It has pre-set intervals that can be selected or you can

add you own interval time. It also provides the option to reset the timer whenever

you react with the page (type/click) so it will not reload while your working.

I haven't lookd but there may be similar extension/add-ons for other browsers.

Seems to me that this it the feature that Square should provide intrinsically.

[VanKalkerFarms · Accepted solution]

in chrome, I use ChromeReloadPlus extension to keep the session active.

[katieand]

Hi @mtbrinson - I merged your thread over here so you can read @MackenzieK's response. This was actually a fix implemented for security purposes. 

[GoldenSpoon]

There are other ways to harden security without creating this kind of annoyance to business owners. Use a MD5 hashed database token stored in the database to verify login activity. Use 2-step verification that drops a longer session token. As a former developer, I can think of half a dozen ways to harden security off of the top of my head without effecting the user experience. This leaves me with the impression that user experience is not a priority consideration when making development decisions.

[Gigis]

I completely agree. The silence from Square about fixing this is amazing. Lots of chatter who want to earn Square badges.

[glyph]

Add another voice to the crowd asking for longer or configurable timeout behavior. I believe the company should give more credit to their customer's ability to assess their own security threats. We don't need a one size fits all solution hardened to the needs of pawn shops (no offence, pawn shops) when we work in a secure environment.

[GoldenSpoon]

Just lost a marketing email I was working on due to this timeout "fix". Now I have to start all over again. Needless to say, I'm becoming more and more disgruntled every day due to the lack of consideration for the user experience. I'm shopping alternate POS's right now.

[resortgirl18]

I'm constantly being asked to sign in as my online session has expired.  To say that this is a nuicance would be a massive understatment.  Is there a way to stay signed in UNTIL I sign myself out?

Thanks for any help!

[Horsefeathers]

We do not see how this possibly addresses a security issue. I also feel the dev team at Square has never worked in a retail environment. We run the Square app on an iPad in the store. Separately, we use the browser-based Square website in our office to do admin work on a computer that has Windows password protection on it. Timing out the website makes no sense from an operational perspective. And why can't the dev team just give us the option to change the time-out or eliminate the functionality entirely?

If they think this is helping, it's not. Tell them to start talking to customers before making changes like this.

[phillipdacunha]

Another request to allow for adjusting/disabling the timeout settings.

[kayogaayurveda]

I agree. The user should able to adjust the timeout interval (as I can on my iPhone). With appointments it's useful to have the module open to reference appointment types, timing, appointment notes, etc while I'm working. I use a PW app, and still it's too frequent for my needs. I'd like to see some customization here for interface convenience.

[mikealbright]

Has this timeout issue been fixed? I'm about ready to change providers if this continues. There is no reason why I should have to sign in to my account every few minutes while sitting at my computer, even with my login and pw saved.
Square, you are interrupting my workflow and efficiency and you have until Dec. 1st to fix this or you have lost a customer and my $3500/year in processing fees plus refferals....tic, tic, tic.....

[Robert-H]

Yep, and it is getting worse.  Now it times out faster.   This is ridiculous.  Square obviously does not care about the customer.

[Nigel_LC · Accepted solution]

If you are using Firefox the 'Auto Reload Tab' extension by Alan Ramsey may help:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/auto-reload-tab/

The extension allows you to set a time interval, after which, the page will be reloaded,

keeping the session kept alive. It has pre-set intervals that can be selected or you can

add you own interval time. It also provides the option to reset the timer whenever

you react with the page (type/click) so it will not reload while your working.

I haven't lookd but there may be similar extension/add-ons for other browsers.

Seems to me that this it the feature that Square should provide intrinsically.

[VanKalkerFarms · Accepted solution]

in chrome, I use ChromeReloadPlus extension to keep the session active.

[segwoodworker]

What doesn't make sense about this solution is that I've had the site timeout on me while I've been entering new items, photos, inventory, etc. If it does it when it is actually in use  how will this prevent a timeout? 

[Tom]

Hey @segwoodworker, thanks for flagging this—that sounds like it shouldn't be happening.🤔

If the dashboard times out again while you're actively using it, please get in touch with our Customer Success Team directly. If you can, please send them the URL where you were working, any additional information on what you were uploading/viewing at the time, and any error messages that may have shown up. With that, they'll be able to take a deeper dive into your account and escalate for further review. Hope this helps clear this up a bit more.

[cmusicshop]

Add me to the request!  I have a very secure location so never having it time out would be nice but even to have the ability to lengthen the time to some more reasonable options would be better than nothing.  In a 10 hour day I'll be on the computer dashboard half a dozen times at least scattered throughout the day.  I do use the Chrome password option but still, it'd be nice to have it ready to go when I need it.

[Pvc7]

For session timeout problems.
I use Chrome browser and duplicate a tab and run this extension on a 5 min interval to keep the session active. https://chrome.google.com/…/ifooldnmmcmlbdennkpdnlnbgbmfalko Heads up, pick a simple screen like the dashboard to refresh (https://squareup.com/dashboard/), duplicate this tab, and minimize it. The login session timer will be reset for all tabs logged into Square.

[cmusicshop]

Thanks, I tried it but since it is domain-wide I had the problem of when I was in the middle of entering a customer the page refreshed and I lost my work up to that point.  I am now trying Super Auto Refresh Plus which is page specific so I can set it for the dashboard page.  So if I'm on customer or invoicing page it won't refresh unless I tell it to, which is a little better but still, neither of them 'reset' if there is activity which is why having it be an option within Square is still the better solution.

[Pvc7]

You have to duplicate the tab and run it just on that duplicated tab and go back to the other tab and do all your work on that one, not the one that has the refresh running on it.

If you don't know what I mean do this open up Chrome login to Square and then set the auto refresh on that Chrome tab then open up another Chrome tab by right-clicking on the top left tab that says Square Dashboard and then left click on Duplicate and that will open up a new tab that you can use while the other one refreshes. DO NOT use the tab that is set to refresh! You can tell if you're using the correct tab because the refresh will only be counting down on the one that is set to refresh not the one that is not set to do that. 

If you still don't know what I'm talking about watch this video and then reread this https://youtu.be/eG0hrzOpBN0 

[cmusicshop]

Thanks for the clarification though I think the one I posted is good for my use.  Still, refreshing the page is a band-aid to the real fix of having Square build in a fix to stay logged in.  It works on tablets which I'd say in many cases are less secure than the PC in most businesses.

[chasbabb]

Could you guys PLEASE get your Session variables fixed!!!  

Most of the time when I log in (and I doing it from a completely new browser session on Edge). It looks like I'm getting somewhere and the Home menu starts to appear, then it says my "Session has timed out" and says I must log in again.  I will try and try again to log in with pretty much the same results, sometimes 5 or 6 times.

Sometimes if I do actually get to the Home menu,  when I click on ANY link it gives me the "Session Timed Out" error again.  This can all take place within 10-15 seconds, so I know I'm not losing my Session.

So f*ing annoying...