Swiping a card in Offline Mode freezes the Register App

[Kimagine]

Hello! This past weekend I did a craft show in a town that gets practically NO cell service, so normally Offline Mode is my best friend. I've done this show for three years, and have had no problems until this weekend.

Each time I tried to swipe a card for a sale, it froze the register app. The app just hung, and then after a minute or so a window popped up saying that Square Register was not responding, and asked if I wanted to wait or close the app.

It did this after I restarted the app, and also after I shut down the phone and restarted the phone. It did this with both the older magstripe reader as well as the Chip/magstripe reader. I have had no issues with the app when I have a clear cellular signal.

Has anyone else had this problem? Is it possibly due to the new chip cards?

[Sean]

@Kimagine - So sorry to hear about the trouble! It definitely sounds like a HUGE inconvenience. While we can't turn back the clock, I'm happy to provide some troubleshooting tips. To get started, I do want to share that the Square Chip Card Reader and the Square Contactless and Chip Card Reader will not work with offline mode. You do have to use the Square Magstripe Reader when you want to process transactions in offline mode. 

When you do run into "glitches" with the Square Register app, I always recommend these troubleshooting steps:

• Unplug and reinsert the Square Reader while the Square Register app is open.
• Make sure that both your mobile device and Square Register app are up-to-date (do this beforehand).
• Log out of the app and sign back in. If you’re operating in Offline Mode and have pending offline payments, you won’t be able to sign out of the app. This is to prevent your pending payments from being lost. This step wouldn't work with out an internet connection.
• Turn your mobile device off and then back on.
• Force quit the app on your device.
• Be sure to enable the permissions requested when you open the Square Register app. This access allows the Square app to communicate with your device to complete payments.
• If you don’t have any pending offline payments, delete and reinstall the app. See Apple’s support site and Google’s support site for instructions on how to do so. This step wouldn't work with out an internet connection.

PS) If my answer solved your problem, would you mind marking it as "Best Answer"? That'll help the rest of the community find what they're looking for. If not, just write back, and I'll continue to help. Thanks!

[Kimagine]

Thanks for the reply, Sean! I did do all those steps, and the app also froze when I tried to use the "old-school" mag stripe reader, too. I wasn't able to test uninstalling/reinstalling the app since I was in an area without cell coverage.

This is the first time I've ever had a problem with swiping a card, and I've NEVER had the Square register app freeze up on me like that before. It made me wonder if it's a problem with chip cards.

Guess I'll have to start bringing my "knuckle-buster" to some of those shows!

[Sean]

@Kimagine - Appreciate the follow up! It shouldn't be related to chip cards, it sounds like more of an app glitch. I'd recommend reinstalling the app, and then testing out a payment. It's also a good idea to put your device into airplane mode when you want to take offline payments. I've seen issues where a device kind of has an internet connect so it tries to process in real time, but then errors out. By using airplane mode, the device won't attempt to process in real-time. It will wait until your reconnect to internet at a future date. 

[Kimagine]

I didn't know that about Airplane Mode, I'll give that a try. I'll also remove and reinstall the app.

I have another show next week that has poor cell reception, so fingers crossed!

[Sean]

@Kimagine - Please test things out beforehand, and best of luck!