Square Chip Card Reader not working properly

[Jim1]

Hi all,

My reader does not seem to take or keep a charge.  Does it have a way to be turned off between transactions?  I am charging it with the USB port on my laptop.  Most of the time it is dead when I go to use it.  

Thanks

Jim S.

[Kelly]

Hey @Jim1 - so sorry to hear about the reader trouble. Your reader will automatically put itself to sleep during stretches of inactivity to help save battery. 

While you can shut down your reader by holding down the white button on the back of the reader, you will need to reconnect your reader every time you restart, which can be a little bit of a pain. 

The tips on this page usually solve any charging issues for your chip card reader. How long are you usually charging your reader for? It can take around 2 hours for the contactless + chip reader to fully charge.