Recently, Square Reader disconnects from Samsung Galaxy Tab A8

[jgorman0]

About two weeks ago our Contactless Chip reader began disconnecting from our tablet after less than 10 minutes of connection time. Everything has worked fine prior to this time. The message says Reader Failed to Connect. I don't have permission to upload the Screen Shot

I have worked with Square Support but none of their suggestions fixed the issue. I was told to upgrade to the Ver 2 Reader which we did, but we are still facing the same issue.

Anyone aware of a recent change to Android or Square that would cause this issue? Thank you.

[messierj]

Good evening,

I started to have this same issue a few weeks ago.  At the time I was using a TabA8 and the first generation card reader.

Right away, I thought it was my TabA8 causing issues. I replaced my Tab A8 with a brand new Galaxy Tab A9+, figuring it may have been the culprit.  This purchase was a hit on my revenue for the month but I figured it was needed.  However, no joy.  Same results.  Dropped connection to the reader and having to reset the reader before a transaction could be finalized.

I ordered a new second generation card reader and connected it to my new Galaxy tab A9+.  It worked for two transactions.  There were no transactions for about 10 minutes.  When I reactivated my tablet, I received the error message shown in these earlier posts, and I had to "ignore the reader" and re-connect it.  It is a real pain, especially since I have an extremely busy shop.

This is my current status of connection: Bluetooth, 
MAC address: F0:82:C0:34:21:ED, Excellent

This is my Reader info: Model: Square Reader (2nd Gen, v1) Device ID: 403LS22304002240

Square version: Square Point of Sale: 
Version: 6.52

My new Android device Galaxy tab A9+:   OS version: 14 Model: Samsung SM-X210

All devices have been removed from the device list and as a precaution I have also reset my new tablet A9+ to factory and restarted it from zero.

No change.  I am at a loss.

I am an IT specialist and there really is no reason why, after doing all of the steps I have highlighted above should not have worked.

There is also a member in my business group who uses an IPad 8th gen, and is having the same issues.

There needs to be a fix from the Square group.

Please advise.

Thank you

[HunkyDory]

After much testing and not much help from Support, I think I have a fix for this issue @jgorman0

Issue 1 - Square Reader 2nd Generation 'randomly' disconnects from Galaxy Tab A8 (also from S22 Mobile device prior to v6.53w release)

Issue 2 - Square Reader 2nd Generation disconnects from Galaxy Tab A8 when 'Out Of Range' or tablet is switched off, but doesn't automatically re-connect when back in range or tablet switched back on.

Although this appears to be random, you may notice it has disconnected a few minutes after the tablet has entered screen saving mode and the screen is re-activated. If you select "Try Again" and wait - the connection will re-establish in around 5 minutes. This is not convenient if you have customers waiting to pay via contactless.This error message is misleading as it should probably say "Reader has Disconnected"

1. Update Square App to version 6.53w
2. Ensure Android OS is up to date.
3. Open Samsung 'Settings'
4. Search down list for 'Apps'
5. Search down list for 'Square Point Of Sale'
6. Search down option for 'Battery'
7. Select option 'Unrestricted'

You may now have solved your issue. If this does not solve your issue, place a support ticket.

Hope this helps for issue 1. 

Issue 2 is still outstanding. The only workaround for when a reader connection gets into a doom loop attempting to reconnect after the connection is lost due to either the reader going out of range, or the App is closed and taken out of memory, or the tablet is powered off is to select the reader in the App, and use the 'Forget This Reader' option. Then re-pair the reader in the App.

[PaperFeather]

Thank you for these troubleshooting steps @HunkyDory! I have the same experience as everyone else on this thread with my Samsung Galaxy A8 tablet and 1st Gen contactless Square reader. Went through all the troubleshooting steps without success, bought a new 2nd Gen reader which was even worse (disconnected often and entered "doom loop"). I also noticed that the connection issues always happened after resuming the tablet from screen sleep, so figured it was something related to the bluetooth or energy settings.

With the 1st Gen reader, I was able to work around the connection error state simply by force-closing the Square POS app on the tablet, waiting 5-10 seconds and re-launching. This is a workable solution, but not scalable for multiple employees who often work alone with no supervision. It is also very frustrating when this happens in the presence of customers.

I have reverted back to the 1st Gen reader and made two key adjustments to the settings on my tablet, that hopefully will resolve the issue for now (time will tell).

1. Extended the screen timeout of my tablet from 10 to 30 minutes to reduce the chances of the screen sleeping during active retail hours between transactions
2. Followed your recommendation to set the Square POS Battery setting to the "Unrestricted" option

Another symptom that was described in this thread by a different user was that the issue did not occur when the tablet was plugged into power. This is another sign pointing to the power settings on the device and with the app being the culprit. Must be some sort of timing issue with the app thinking the reader is not connected to Bluetooth when it wakes up from sleep state.

Thank you all for the helpful advice and context here!

[HunkyDory]

Extending the screen timeout worked too during testing, but the App/Battery switch works better @PaperFeather. Samsung don't recommend running tablet plugged in to power as it shortens battery life.

You're welcome.

[SilverStarArt]

I had the same problem with 1st and 2nd Gen Card Readers on both a Samsung tablet and a Samsung phone. Finally found a post on a Samsung user board that solved the problem:

On your Android device, go to'Settings'

Scroll down to  'Apps'
Select your 'Square Point Of Sale' app.

Search down for the "Battery" setting and change the option to 'Unrestricted.'

This will likely tax your battery more, but should let your device go to sleep and wake up and still have a Square connection.

[MayaP · Accepted solution]

Hello,

Thank you everyone so much for your continued patience while our team worked to resolve this issue. If you're still experiencing difficulties with your reader, please ensure that battery usage for the app is not restricted. To adjust these settings on an Android device:

1. Open **Settings**
2. Tap **Apps**
3. Select the app
4. Tap **Battery**
5. Choose **Unrestricted**

If the problem persists, don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to help!

[sprivite7]

I've been having this exact issue for months with both the 1st and 2nd gen readers using a Galaxy S23. I worked with someone and did every trouble shooting option he recommended, twice! And that dreaded, "Reader Failed to Connect" message still popped up after 5 minutes or so. 

This fix worked!! Well, it has for the last hour, but that would still be a vast improvement from before. Thank you SO MUCH!!!