Reader not recognised as a valid device by Google Android 11

[Hanney]

I purchased a new Acer Android tablet running version 11 and cannot connect my Square Reader to the Square app after downloading the latest version from the Play Store.

The app tries to connect to the reader but after it appears to connect, an error message appears in the app with a status bar message "Reader unavailable: secure session denial".

The message says "Device Not Supported. Google is unable to verify that your device is compatible with Android. Please try another device, or restore this one to factory settings."

Why isn't my Square Reader compatible with the latest version of Android?

[Breffni]

 Hi @Hanney, thanks for your post. 

I had a look at our compatibility page and unfortunately Acer is not listed so we wouldn't be able to guarantee that it should connect to your Point of Sale app.  

I'd suggest checking out the page above to see that Android devices that we know will work. If you don't have any other compatible devices, you can return your Reader within 30 days of the purchase date.

You are still be able to use your device to accept credit cards by manually entering information through the app, sending your customers an invoice or taking payments directly on your computer using Virtual Terminal. You can check out our card not present transaction rates in our Support Centre. 

[Hanney]

The error message has nothing to do with the tablet manufacturer.  It is referring to the Google operating system, Android 12 not recognizing Square Reader hardware.  The reader worked with our old tablet which ran Android 5. This incompatibility will seriously impact customers when they need to upgrade their tablet hardware as we did.  Shrugging off the reader hardware issue is not a great response to an existing customer with a problem.  Looks like we will have to have a look at the Zettle POS solution if Square are unwilling to look into the problem.

[Breffni]

Hi @Hanney. The Square Reader can connect to most devices running Android 5.0 or later but not all Android devices may meet all the requirements for compatibility and won't be able to communicate properly with the Square hardware or the Square apps.

Hopefully, you'll find an alternative device there that works well for your business.

We're constantly working to support more devices — thank you for your patience in the meantime!