The software was just downloaded from the App Store and installed on both phone and iPad within the last couple of days.  I have the chip and mag card reader, but neither one works.  The tutorials and FAQ that I have found on the Square website don't seem to address the issue or even show the process from start to finish.  It just says to swipe the card or insert it into the chip reader.  Okay, then what to do when nothing happens? 

I have exactly the same issue with my two new readers....the kind that swipe or dip.  Neither one will read any card!   I kind of need a resolution soon, as I have a trade show coming up!

I think I might know what's happening....the new dip/swipe readers have a battery in them and must be charged, unlike the old swipe reader.  Right next to the plug post on the reader is a hole for a mini jack, the same type most phones use.  Charge the reader for a few hours and I bet it will work then.   I totally forgot these need to be charged!

Terry

Mine's fully charged.....as soon as I plug it into the headphone jack, it says "Reader Damaged". Second one to do this. 

I have had a few "damaged" readers right out of the box too.

George, I also had problems till I charged & Made sure the card was in correct.  But then it keeps telling me that the charge was cancelled.   Why?

 

SparkleKathy

Can you help me with my new chip reader, too, George?  I just got it last week.  Set it up. Went to an event.  Worked fine for the first few transactions, then stopped working the rest of the day.  Would not recognize the cards with chips.  I'm ready to send it back for a refund!

my swipe reads just fine but the chip reader does nothing...

I'm using it on my iPad 4S (I think that's the model) with iOS 10.3.1

Any ideas?

Hey @webistree, both chip reader models should work with the iPad 4. If you've tried the troubleshooting steps that George suggested and the reader isn't responding — please let our Support Team know. They'll be able to take a closer look into what's going on. 👍🏻

Yes, so frustrated that they don't seem to acknowledge that there is a problem with these devices. I used one 4 times and it stopped working and another didn't work from the start. They need to sort this out, useless money wasted (although I did return it but I lost sales).

Can you see if @Knipknives comment about charging the battery works for you, @monarchboosterc and @Fatgranny?

I have this same issue with my chip reader. I have made sure I charged it up & it still won't work. Thank goodness I didn't throw away my original square reader or I would have lost out on almost $1000 in sales the past 2 weekends. Very frustrated that I paid for this new card reader to have it NOT work.

I've recharged this thing 4-5 times. Charging yet again. I can only run for maybe 2-3 stripe transaction and never a chip charge before it refuses to work. Oddly, I can test it by placing a chip card in (card not charged) but I can't run a transaction. And this is my 2nd reader. Not only that, it doesn't hold a charge for more than half a day. Use it in the morning and forget about using it in the afternoon. Useless if I have to charge it constantly.

@OnPoint525 - Please reach out to our Support Team so they can work with you directly. They should be able to come up with some suggestions for getting you back on track! 👍

I charged it Monday AGAIN. Customer walked in just now (Wed/5pm). I put the reader in. It starts up. I entered the wrong amount and hit cancel. After that, it died. Less than 24 hours after taking a charge. I have not been able to process a single chip card. Between charging it every morning and it not working, I'm beyond PO'd. My 2nd crap chip reader. How do you release garbage like this and take people's money for it? I called Chase and I'm going to see what they offer which only ticks me off more now that I have to close my shop to spend an hour at Chase.

@OnPoint525 - So sorry to hear! Our Support Team would be happy to help you out with this one-on-one. They should be able to get to the root of this issue, as this behavior is certainly not expected. You can give us a call by logging in here.

So I get an email to "reach out". I click the link and it takes me to a page where I have to fill out a form telling them about the problem with the so-called chip reader that they already know about (after all, they reached out to me). I bet I get another email in the morning asking me to reach out to support.

Sorry for the confusion @OnPoint525

 

Were you able to call in?

 

You should be able to receive your customer code and give our Support Team a call from here as long as you log in.