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Square Chip Card Reader not working properly

So my Reader which takes Swipe or Chip will only take a manual entry which of course costs more in Square Fees.  When I go into setting it says (1) device connected by when I open it is says connecting.

 

Any thoughts

 

Thanks,

 

Chris

 

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Square

Best Answer

So sorry to hear about the issues! With a little troubleshooting, we should be able to get you up and running. 

 

To get started, please try out these tips from our Support Center article: Square Chip Card Reader Tips and Troubleshooting

 

  • Remove any case or cover from your device. Some cases prevent the reader from plugging in completely.
  • Update to the latest version of the Square app.
  • Make sure you’re using a supported device. Check out our Device Comptability page to double check.
  • Unplug the reader and plug it back in while the Square app is open.
  • Delete and reinstall the Square app. See Apple or Google support for instructions.
  • Plug the reader into a power source, leave it for 1-5 minutes, and then plug it back into the device. 
  • If you see “Please try inserting again, chip could not be read,” remove the card and insert it again until you hear a click. Keep the card in place until the payment completes.
  • If you see the message “Reader Damaged,” the reader is broken and you’ll need to request a new one.
  • If you’re using an Apple device, make sure the audio volume balance is exactly in the middle. To check, visit your device’s settings > tap General > Accessibility. Scroll down to the hearing section and move the “audio volume balance” directly in the middle.
  • If you’re using an Android device, make sure that any audience enhancement features (such as One M8, Clari-fi, or Beats Bass Boost) are turned off – they can disrupt the connection between your reader and device.
  • If you see the error message, “Register needs VoiceOver to be turned off,” go to your device settings and tap General > Accessibility > VoiceOver and turn off VoiceOver. This may also be “S Voice” or “Talkback” on your device. If that doesn’t do the trick, turn off Mono Audio from your device settings.

 

If you’ve tried all the troubleshooting steps and you’re still having issues, you can go ahead and submit a warranty claim.

 

 


Sean
he/him/his
Product Manager | Square, Inc.

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Square

@gfryer You reader should absolutely be working more smoothly than that. Our Support Team will be able to dive a little deeper with you and help get this sorted out. Give us a call! If you run into any issues getting ahold of our Support Team, check out this thread for some help getting ahold of us. 

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Good luck getting through to them via telephone.  You need to obtain a code, but I have not been able to obtain one.

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Square Community Moderator

@RP2 Our Support Team is more than happy to help via phone call. 

 

Check out this existing thread on how to get a customer code to give us a call. 

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Why is it so difficult to contact someone? It's bad enough this piece of crap chip reader rarely works properly and can't hold a charge for more than a few hours. And just now, I got a prompt that the thing is damaged. Every support page I go to leads to another support page and NONE supply a phone number or email. After years of using Square, I've decided to move over to Chase. Very, very disappointed.

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Admin

Hello @OnPoint525, very sorry to hear about your experience. I was able to look up your account and message you with more information. For next steps, please check your email inbox.

️ Tom | he/him
Seller Community Manager | Square, Inc.
Find step-by-step help in our Support Center
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I am having the same trouble since the last updates.  I have to key in the number and client's are getting ancy waiting for me to get it to work.  Yes, I have gone through all the suggestions.  This reader is less than 6 months old.  I get no messages, it just won't process the payment until I key the info in.  Square has been going steadily downhill since introducing this chipless reader between higher fees and longer deposit times.  

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Square

Sorry to hear that, @WG30. If you've ran through Sean's tips and they didn't address the issue, contact our Support team directly so they can take a look with you.  

 

 

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Hi,

I am also having the same problem.  Credit cards with a chip did not work.  I went through the trouble shooting protocols and eventually got a chip card to work, ay least once.  I am hopeful that it will continue to work, otherwise, this system is not worth the troubles and I will go to a different one.

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Beta Member

 

 

 

it was working great on my IPad untill this week, I have been using my cell phone (android) wich I can't receive phone calls un till the transaction is finished 😞

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Admin

Hey @Bellaestilista, sorry to hear it. If it's working on your Android, but not on your iPad all of a sudden, I wonder if there's an issue with your iPad itself. Have you had the chance to check if any dust or debris got stuck in the headset jack? In addition, were you able to give all of Sean's troubleshooting tips a go? Those usually resolve any issue right away. Hope this helps; let us know how it goes.

️ Tom | he/him
Seller Community Manager | Square, Inc.
Find step-by-step help in our Support Center
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I have been trying all afternoon to get my chip/mag reader to work on my Iphone 5S to no avail.  All I get is "connecting to reader" and it never does.  Any ideas or tips.  I've tried all the troubleshooting tips and nothing seems to work.

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Square Community Moderator

@dlightsey0313 Hi there, sorry to hear about the trouble. 

 

I've moved your post over to this relevant existing thread. 

 

Have you tried everything suggested in this thread?

 

Uninstalling and reinstalling the app usually does the trick. 

 

Also, you'll want to make sure your iOS Software is fully up to date as well. 

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I can not remove the case do to the nature of my business. Can I extend the headphone jack? Will this make it work?

 

Thanks,Kathy

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Mine isn't working at all, but it looks like I can't even check if the Galaxy 8 is compatible... so I suspect it's not. Any idea of a timeline of when the S8 will be? I can use my old free reader in the meantime, but it would be helpful to know that I can use the one I paid $40 for. Kind of frustrating to make a point of having the best tech available from you and my phone company only to have that exclude me from use 😕

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Hello @WildeGeekDesign, at this time the Samsung Galaxy S8 is not on our Device Compatibility List. This just means we have yet to test this device! If I hear any movement on this I will make sure to let you know! 

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That would be great! My old reader works fine, but, bizarrely, the new reader that is supposed to handle chip cards that I actually paid for won't work at all with it.

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I have the contactless + chip card reader using both an iPhone 6 and an iPhone SE and even tried on an iPad Mini. I have updated my phones and the Square App. No matter which device I use when I enter an amount to charge and click the blue charge button I get a message "Remove Chip Card" the card is not in the chip reader. I have tried this several times and get the same message. I have a very small business and the reader is rarely used. Have tried all of Sean's suggestions. Any other suggestions?

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THIS is exactly what was happening to me. Take a libary card or a loyalty card - something without a magnetic strip - and insert it in the reader and then remove it. It THINKS there's still a card in there, even though there isn't. Once I inserted and removed a card, it want back to normal, though I had to do that several times over the course of a 4 hour market.

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Thank you thank you thank you. That did the trick! I will remember that if it happens again.

 

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I have never gotten the chip card reader to connect with the app on my phone.  I do not see anything on the troubleshooting tips that addresses this problem.

 

It says connected, or Establishing Secure Connection, but it will not update.  I have tried removing the case also.  I uninstalled and installed the most recent version of Square Point of Sale.  There are no buttons on my chip/card reader to push so I don't see how that is relevent.

 

Also, it has a very shallow charge and runs out of power before it can even connect.   I have done everything; recharge the reader, put a chip credit card in, waited for a long time while it says Establishing Secure Connection and it sitll is not working.

 

I am not at all happy to be forced to use the manual entry and being charged a higher interest rate. 

 

If we don't get this issue resolved this week, I will cancel Square and switch to another service that has better hardware.  Perhaps you folks need to stop using China for manufacturers of your hardware, just saying.

 

Dr. Wah

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Admin

I'm very sorry for the the frustration @Wah. If you've already been through the troubleshooting steps and your reader is still not connecting to your device you can return it to Square and we'll send you a new one. You can exchange hardware under warranty using this form. Apologies again for the trouble this caused! 

️ Helen
Seller Community Manager

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