What's New From Square: September Features Coming Soon (Volume 11)

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Hey Square Community,

We're rolling out a wave of new features and improvements across Payments & Checkout, Menu & Kitchen Operations, Operations & Device Management, and Reporting. Some are live now, and the rest will be fully available by September 8.

This is Volume 11. Here's what's new.

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Payments & Checkout

Preset tip percentages on invoice payments 🇦🇺 🇨🇦 🇪🇸 🇫🇷 🇮🇪 🇬🇧 🇺🇸

Sellers configure preset tip percentage buttons that appear when customers pay an invoice online. Customers select a preset amount or enter a custom tip at the time of payment.

Why it matters: Service providers who invoice — cleaners, contractors, consultants — have had no way to prompt for a tip at the moment a customer pays. Customers willing to tip had to calculate the amount themselves or skip it entirely. Preset buttons remove that friction and make tipping a natural part of the invoice payment experience.

Access: The setting is available under invoice tipping options in the Square app or Square Dashboard.

Menu & Kitchen Operations

Custom sounds and volume control for Kitchen Display System alerts 🇦🇺 🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇮🇪 🇺🇸 🇯🇵 🇪🇸 🇫🇷

The new-ticket alert on Kitchen Display System (KDS) can be set to any notification sound available on the device. A sound picker with preview and a device volume slider appear in the display's Timers & alerts settings.

Why it matters: Kitchens are loud. The default alert sound can get lost under hood fans, fryers, and conversation — or it can be jarring in a quieter café environment. Letting the team pick a distinct sound and dial in the volume means the alert actually gets heard without startling front-of-house guests or blending into background noise.

Access: On the Kitchen Display System device, go to Timers & alerts settings to select a sound and adjust volume.

Operations & Device Management

Camera barcode scanning on Android devices 🇦🇺 🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇮🇪 🇺🇸 🇯🇵 🇪🇸 🇫🇷

Sellers use the built-in camera on Android devices to scan barcodes for adding items to the cart or creating and editing catalog items. The feature activates by pressing the volume key.

Why it matters: Not every seller has a dedicated barcode scanner, especially those just starting out or running pop-ups. The device camera is already in hand — turning it into a scanner means sellers ring up barcoded inventory or build out their catalog without purchasing additional hardware.

Access: On an Android device running Square Point of Sale, go to More > Settings > Hardware > Camera Barcode Scanner to enable the feature. Press the volume key to activate scanning.

Customizable background colors for modifier tiles on Point of Sale 🇦🇺 🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇮🇪 🇺🇸 🇯🇵 🇪🇸 🇫🇷

Sellers assign custom background colors to individual modifiers, making them visually distinct on the Square Point of Sale screen.

Why it matters: During a rush, staff scan modifier tiles quickly — and when every tile looks the same, mistakes happen. A barista distinguishing "oat milk" from "almond milk" by color instead of reading small text moves faster and gets fewer orders wrong. Color-coding also helps new team members learn the register layout sooner.

Access: In Square Dashboard, go to Items & Services > Items > Modifiers, select a modifier set, and choose Customize next to any modifier to assign a color. Both KDS and Point of Sale colors can be set from the same screen.

Error alerts for unrecognized scales and scanner-scales 🇦🇺 🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇮🇪 🇺🇸 🇯🇵 🇪🇸 🇫🇷

When a scale or scanner-scale cable is connected but Point of Sale cannot fully recognize the device, an error message appears in Hardware Hub. The alert includes troubleshooting steps.

Why it matters: Previously, a scale that was physically connected but not communicating gave no feedback — sellers discovered the problem only when they tried to weigh an item at checkout. An explicit error with troubleshooting steps means the issue surfaces immediately, not in front of a waiting customer.

Access: The error alert appears automatically in Hardware Hub when a connected scale or scanner-scale is not recognized.

Group ordering on Point of Sale 🇦🇺 🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇮🇪 🇺🇸 🇯🇵 🇪🇸 🇫🇷

Multiple guests in the same group add items to a single consolidated kitchen ticket. The kitchen receives one merged ticket per group instead of separate tickets for each guest. Each guest settles their own portion independently at payment time.

Why it matters: Full-service venues, pubs, and bistros have been juggling separate orders per guest or asking the kitchen to piece together which items belong to which table. That gets unmanageable during a rush or when seating large groups. Group ordering keeps front-of-house flexibility with separate checks and individual modifications, without fragmenting kitchen workflow. The kitchen sees the table the way they actually plate it: as one order.

Access: Available to sellers on Plus plans and above. To enable, go to Settings > Checkout > Group Order and turn on "Show group order option in cart."

Keypad tab for custom amounts in real-time check view 🇦🇺 🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇮🇪 🇺🇸 🇯🇵 🇪🇸 🇫🇷

A Keypad tab appears to the left of the menu in the Menu applet for sellers using real-time check view. Sellers enter a custom dollar amount, add an optional note, and add it directly to the open check without creating a catalog item first.

Why it matters: Not every charge fits neatly into a catalog — a one-off alteration fee, a rush charge, or a miscellaneous service. Previously, sellers had to create a throwaway item or leave the check to build one. The keypad lets staff punch in an amount on the spot and keep the line moving.

Access: The Keypad tab appears automatically in the Menu applet when real-time check view is active on Point of Sale.

Option to show dine-in fulfillment in the Point of Sale cart 🇦🇺 🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇮🇪 🇺🇸 🇯🇵 🇪🇸 🇫🇷

A per-mode setting controls whether the dine-in fulfillment row appears in the checkout cart. Quick Service and Drive-Thru modes have the setting enabled by default.

Why it matters: For some operations, the dine-in row in the cart is useful context because it confirms the order type before sending it to the kitchen. For others, it adds visual clutter to every transaction. Giving each mode its own setting means sellers running a quick-service counter and a full-service dining room on the same account can tailor the cart to how each station actually works.

Access: On Point of Sale, go to More > Checkout > Cart to turn the dine-in fulfillment row on or off for Full Service, Quick Service, Bar, or Drive-Thru modes.

Quantity bar for real-time check view on Point of Sale 🇦🇺 🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇮🇪 🇺🇸 🇯🇵 🇪🇸 🇫🇷

Sellers using real-time check view select an item quantity before adding it to a check. For configurable items, the selected quantity carries through modifier selection and applies when the item is added.

Why it matters: When a table orders three of the same drink, staff previously had to tap the item three times or edit the quantity after the fact. The quantity bar lets them set the count up front — including through modifier screens — so the check reflects the full order in one action. Fewer taps, fewer corrections during a rush.

Access: The quantity bar is off by default but turns on automatically for sellers who previously used the calculator in real-time check view. It can be enabled or disabled in real-time check view settings on Point of Sale.

Reporting

Sales Report updates for refunds, comparisons, and dates 🇦🇺 🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇮🇪 🇺🇸 🇯🇵 🇪🇸 🇫🇷

The Sales Report on Point of Sale now displays both itemized returns and by-amount refunds in the Sales Summary overview, with consistent terminology across iOS and Android. Period-over-period comparisons on Android measure matching timeframes rather than comparing a partial period to a full prior period. The date-range selector on Android works correctly when starting from a preset.

Why it matters: Sellers reviewing daily numbers in the Sales Summary overview were seeing incomplete refund data — by-amount refunds didn't appear in the summary, and terminology differed between iOS and Android, making it hard to understand the numbers. These updates mean the Sales Report reflects what happened, consistently, regardless of device.

Access: On Point of Sale, go to More > Reports > Sales Report.

🎉 Your Feedback in Action

These updates are a direct result of feedback and feature requests shared across the community! Here's how the Community helped shape what we're launching:

Preset tip percentages on invoice payments — You asked for easier tipping on invoices, and preset percentage buttons help customers choose a tip without doing the math. Shoutout to @Laylas and @emilyjones19 for raising this!

Custom sounds and volume control for Kitchen Display System alerts — Kitchens are loud, and your KDS alert needs to cut through the noise without disrupting the front of house. Shoutout to @ibrahin and @Craigdb for raising this!

Group ordering on Point of Sale — Group ordering helps keep a group’s items together on one kitchen ticket while still giving guests flexibility at payment. Shoutout to @lamifusion for raising this!

Keypad tab for custom amounts in real-time check view — Staff can now add a custom dollar amount directly to an open check from the Menu applet, helping teams move faster when a charge doesn’t fit neatly into the catalog. Shoutout to @Rubyinlaunnie for raising this!

💬 Community Conversations

Barcode scanning on Android devices — Sellers have been looking for ways to scan barcodes from Android devices without buying or troubleshooting extra hardware. Read the full discussion →

Modifier visibility in busy kitchens — Sellers shared how color-coding modifiers could help staff spot changes like add, remove, or substitute faster on the order screen and KDS. Read the full discussion →

💬 We Want to Hear From You

Tried a new feature? Share your experience in Feedback Discussions — look for posts tagged Release Feedback or start your own.

Need help or running into an issue? Post in our Help boards where fellow sellers and Square Champions can chime in.

Have an idea for something new? Share it in the Feature Requests board. The more details you provide about your use case, the better we can prioritize.

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to share feature requests, vote on ideas, and participate in discussions. Your input directly impacts our product roadmap, and we're always listening!

🪧 Stay in the Know

• Browse the Early Feature Access tab in your Square Dashboard to get a head start on upcoming features.
• Visit Square Release Notes for the latest product updates, or browse the Feature Log for a full history of what's shipped.

Have questions about anything here? Drop them in the comments below. ⬇️