iphone barcode scanning

[ianmitchell61]

can I scan item barcode with square POS app on iphone, if so ...how?

[Emma_ · Accepted solution]

Hi @ianmitchell61, welcome to the Seller Community!

A barcode can only be scanned by a barcode scanner on Square POS app. Socket Mobile S700 is the compatible one with Square app on iPhone at the moment. Here is the list of all barcode scanners compatible with other Square products.

[amjessey]

Hello @Emma_ 

We would like our Android smartphones to act as the barcode scanner to scan items into a sale in the Android Square POS app and an invoice in the Android Square Invoices app, and also into sales and invoices in the Square Terminal.

There are various barcode scanner apps on Google Play Store and it would be good if one of these could be used instead of a dedicated barcode scanner hardware, which I believe is a current requirement.

We are a mobile retailer that does not have a bricks-and-mortar store so using one of your currently supported barcode scanners is not practical. On that point, is it possible to use one of the supported Bluetooth scanners with an Android phone only or Square Terminal only?     

The only hardware we use in our business is Square Terminal, Android phones and Chromebooks which run the Chrome browser.

Regarding the Terminal, it would be good if the next version of this hardware had a camera with a barcode scanner functionality built into it so we could use this as the barcode scanner.

If you could please advise on what is possible now considering our business setup and please raise this post with the relevant team as a series of feature requests that would be appreciated.

Thank you

[amjessey]

Looking at the link you supplied, states, "If your inventory utilises barcode technology for tracking purposes, you can connect a barcode scanner directly to your Square hardware. A barcode scanner allows your cashiers to quickly ring out items without having to scroll through your item library", however, selecting Terminal and Android with Square Reader only USB scanners are shown in the results. The USB port on Terminal and latest Android phones is USB-C; is this port that is used for a connection between the scanner and the hardware? 

https://squareup.com/gb/en/compatibility/accessories/barcode-scanners?device%5B%5D=terminal&device%5... 

[amjessey]

Related post:

• https://www.sellercommunity.com/t5/Questions-How-To/Recommended-sticky-label-printers-for-clothing-r...
• https://www.sellercommunity.com/t5/Feature-Requests-Point-of-Sale/Barcode-Scanner-Square-terminal/td... 

[k_atie]

Hey @amjessey, just stepping in for Emma here and apologies for the delayed response. Thank you for your detailed feedback.

You could try using an untested Bluetooth bar code scanner with an Android phone. However, if the device is not listed on our compatibility page with the device you are using, this is considered an untested device and is not guaranteed to pair. Since Bluetooth scanners are listed as only compatible with iOS devices, using them with an Android device is not guaranteed to work. 

Additionally, we also recommend following the compatibility page to find a barcode scanner compatible with the Square Terminal. 

It seems like your best option here would be using USB barcode scanners that connect to your hardware through the USB hub, as it seems like Bluetooth scanners are incompatible with both the Square Terminal and Android devices at this time. 

I also think having a camera on the Terminal to be used as a barcode scanner is a great idea! I'll make sure to pass it over to our team for them to take into consideration. 

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with.

[amjessey]

Hi @k_atie 

Thank you for your reply and advice on the dedicated barcode scanners.

Regarding my second and third paragraphs though, it would be good if you could raise this as a feature request. This is: support barcode scanner apps (for smartphones) so the smartphone becomes the tool for scanning barcodes into Square POS and Square Invoices. 

Thank you. 

[k_atie]

Absolutely @amjessey, I've passed that on for you now. Let me know if there is anything else you need. 😊

[phillipsrw]

I remember a few years back there was a system on the market (will remain nameless) that used smartphone technology with their app to scan barcodes. I seem to remember ther was a problem with the quality of the  two cameras ie the forward v the reverse having different quality lenses, so only the forward would work as the quality of this camera was good enough, but the reverse camera wouldn't. The quality has come along somewhat these days but one to keep in mind when considering Smartphones as barcode scanners.