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Cash Drawer on smartphone/ipod

Hi, we've been using square for a couple years now with the stand and a ipad. We just recently bought a new ipod so we can use it for small mobile events and more importantly to have a backup from the ipad air at our main location. We've been having lots of communication errors. (Printer, cash drawer, and card chip reader going down very frequently. To the point you can't open the cash drawer, printer wont connect, ipad wont charge etc...) Yes we've tried everything and all suggestions, and when we are in a hurry, and things aren't working the way they should, it gets very frusterating. Escpecially when our employees are working and we are not at our business.

Basically my main concern, is we bought this new ipod to use as a backup in another situation that the ipad and stand with all its hardware fails. I see that in the square app it will keep track of all sales, including credit sales for the end of the day. However, the cash drawer option is quite bothermsome. It would be nice to have the cash drawer option for the phones/ipods as well. So if we are using the mobile device at the correct location, it should keep track of what the ipad is putting in and taking out of the drawer, and can pick up if the ipad and or stand crashes again. This would be helpful for not just ourselves but our employees as well, since they count the till at the end of every day.

If you take cash with the mobile device and your putting in the monies and taking out change from the drawer manually, right now it would throw the entire cash till off.

Could we please have an update on the app, so we can manage our current cash drawer with mobile device as well.

Thank You.

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Super Seller Alumni

The phone app doesn't have this capability because it is normally used in a mobile setting.  I don't see this feature being added.

 

I don't use the square stand in our setup.  We use an ethernet printer with a drawer hooked to it.  We have two iPads so if one goes down we can just pick up the second one and use it.  Both iPads can use the printer and drawer.  And because both have the ability for cash management we can track what is in the drawer.  Works well if we are busy and we use both iPads at the same time too.  The only thing we had to get is a reader for both.

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Thats a pretty good setup. What about the printer and cash drawer? Is their a hub you use to plug the usb from the hardware into that transmits over wifi?

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Super Seller Alumni

This is the Ethernet Printer.  I must connect to an ethernet cable into your router.  The cash drawer connects into the back of the printer.  Niether of these are USB driven.  Use a simple iPad stand.  There are other options of all of these products too.  

 

Also your stand issues could be bad hub.  You can purchase a new hub from square and that may fix your issues.  Also I know there have been issue with iOS 11.

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Thank You, I greatly appreciate the help. After doing a bit of research myself, I think I am going to go that route. Change to an ethernet setup. Ethernet is also more dependable than wifi, and the printer is cheaper which is nice. I've came to the conclusion a while ago that the square stand is very problamatic. It seems to have quite a few kinks that needs worked out, it get's quite stressful and frusterating when it's constantly going down.

I appreciate all the input. One question tho. You said you use 2 ipads. If we get another ipad, so the two will work off the same printer/cash drawer. Do you have to start the till on each ipad or does it automatically start when the other starts? ie.. keeping the current drawer the same if you started using a second one later on in the day?

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Yes, both can use the same printer and drawer.  This is how we do it.  Our main register we open and enter our opening balance of $100.00.  The second Register we enter an opening balance of $0.00.  At the end of the day we close the registers and add the two together.  This gives us what should be in the drawer minus the starting cash.

 

 

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A clever solution for an inept system.

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