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.

[VanKalkerFarms]

It should have been logging you off after a period of inactivity always.  It isn't a bug, but what is supposed to be happening to protect your information.

[llij96]

Darn.  I guess the bug was that it was NOT doing this for over a year!

[Robert-H]

I am suffering the same irritation.  It is a total PITA to have to log back in after a few minutes of inactivity, especially when my login is my email address whic is really long.  My machine is in a secure location so I should be able to determine if I want the timeout or not.  It should be up to me to accept any associated risk.  I want it to go back to the way it was.  

[Robert-H]

One more thing, there was a change to the system.  ANY change to the system should be communicated to us, the client.  This change has disrupted my workflow enough that I started looking at alternative payment solutions.

Change management 101 - Inform those affected by the change

[VanKalkerFarms]

I would recommend using a password manager like LastPass to store your logins securely so you don't have to type it in every few hours.  mine unlocks with my apple watch when I sit at my computer.  and I don't know how yours wasn't timing out as mine has since the day I started using Square 7 years ago.  I don't know if you can find the cookie it stores (if it is cookie based) and change the expiration, you used to be able to do that a long time ago for websites.

[sheilalowe]

Intermittently, the instant I log on, I get a Timeout message. I use Chrome. Really annoying and frustrating. 

[Joe]

Hi there, @sheilalowe - thanks for reaching out here on the Seller Community and letting us know. 

We're you able to try out any of the troubleshooting steps listed in the posts above? If those weren't able to resolve the issue for you, we would recommend reaching out to our Support Team for further troubleshooting. They can take a deep dive into this with you and make sure you reach a resolution.

Let me know if you have any questions! 

[llij96]

Exactly.  Make it a setting that the admin can adjust.  And AMEN on the communicating changes to users point!!!

[purplebutterfly]

Let me chime in, too, that making this a setting I can control makes more sense that an arbitrary time limit set by Square. If I think it's a security risk to have a computer in my office logged in all the time, let ME decide that. 

I find it annoying because I've had it timeout in the middle of large data entry task that I haven't saved yet.

[Millcreekmerc]

Yes we should be able to pick the time we want the session to end.  It really is annoying and if you don't save something right then, it will time out and not automatically save.  i have had to redo so many things!

[tspoutlet]

So true, especially with the slow method of filling lists like purchase orders and printing labels.

I've spent so much time filling a purchase order, only to have the server time me out and delete all the work. FIX THIS PLEASE

Also, add feature to auto populate purchase orders using filters. (vendor, out of stock)

[katieand]

Hi @llij96 & @Robert-H - I was able to look into this a bit more and it looks like we retroactively discovered a bug that prevented all users from being logged out after a period of inactivity on Dashboard. The fix now logs all users out after that period to ensure account security.

I'm sorry that you're frustrated by this change and also the fact we didn't communicate it. I'm going to be sending feedback to the team that handled the change, but please let me know if there's anything else I can add.

The password manager that @VanKalkerFarms suggested might be a good fit so you don't constantly have to type in your password. I'm also on my dashboard most of the day, so I understand the pain of typing and retyping passwords. 

[Robert-H]

Thank you for the reply.

You can also tell the team that the timout feature should be able to be disabled by us.  My machine is in a secured location and I refuse to re-login 20 times a day.  I would rather use a different merchant provider that continue this way.  

Listen to your customer.

Regards

[TwistedRail]

Agree 100% with Robert.  I have noticed this for more than a week and it is incredibly annoying.  This should be adjustable to an appropriate amount of time as determined by the admin, not by the app itself.

[DSnyder]

How do I stay logged into Square on my Desktop?  It used to stay logged in after the transactions if you went back to the "Home" tab.  Now lately it logs out EVERYTIME I go out of it.  HELP!!!  

[katieand]

Hi @DSnyder - I've merged you on to this thread, so you can check out my answer about Dashboard on page 1. 

Square's Dashboard was actually supposed to log you out after a period of inactivity, but wasn't properly working for some people. The bug fix was to log out users after inactivity. We do this to ensure account security.

Sorry about the confusion!

[maria]

This should have been an option for each user. Our business has over 10K variants and sku's. It can take up to 15 minutes for the dashboard to load up. Once again another feature modified that is not user friendly, specially since 99% of users are using secured sites for their business. 

[GoldenSpoon]

That should not be the case, no matter what system you use. I would NEVER use a POS that takes 15 minutes to load. The whole point of databases is to make sites faster and more resiliant. If you are getting neither, that's a major problem, IMHO. I don't know if the issue is the database structure, how the information is called, a slow server, or just a slow terminal. No matter the issue though, loading should never take more than 15 seconds, at most.

[RickRakMike]

That's not an answer. That's an excuse for Square's short-sightedness.

[roseH1]

I agree, our computer is secure, this feature is not needed, we should be abvle to override it!