Why does my Square Reader say the magnetic strip is disconnected when I swipe a credit card?

[smspackman]

I am using my Square Reader for the first time and doing practice swipes.  I can not get the Reader to take a credit card swipe and have to manually type in the account info.  What am I doing wrong?

[CWEFTZ]

I experienced the same problem and just received the following reply from Square Support:

Thanks for writing in. Sorry to hear about the trouble!

The Google Nexus 6P is not currently supported by Square. There are several thousand Android devices on the market, and we strive to support them all. In some cases, however, the Android device may meet all the requirements for compatibility but still not communicate properly with the Square hardware or the Square apps. You may also want to consider using a different, supported device. If you’re considering obtaining a new phone or tablet, feel free to reply with the make and model and I’ll be happy to determine its compatibility.

Disappointing since I just purchased a new phone but I guess I will just use a 'host' phone when I need to use it.

[Spenser]

Sorry to hear that @smspackman! 

First, it is a good idea to check your devices compatibility. From there, most swiping issues are fixed with these troubleshooting steps.

Let me know if you've given those a shot and are still having trouble!

[Subvtrn]

My Square Scanner fails to scan credit cards on my Nexus 6P Android phone. When I plug in the scanner the phone just vibrates and the Register Screen just flashes and will not scan any cards.

[Spenser]

Hi @Subvtrn, I merged your comment with this post; it looks like another seller had the same issue unfortunately. Run through troubleshooting steps I provided above and see if they help!