Can I turn off the Contactless chip reader?

[beadbags]

I know that all four green lights means on, got that much but I am not sure how to tell that it is off. When I hold the button in and get four yellow or orange lights does that mean that it is in the off position or that it is ready to pair with my iPad? I know it is a stupid question but I don't see a definitive answer on the off position anywhere. Thanks for helping in my ignorance.

[Sean · Accepted solution]

This is a great question! Thanks so much for asking. 

To get going, you actually don’t need to worry about turning the reader off. It will automatically go into sleep mode after 2 hours of inactivity. To wake it up from sleep mode, just press the button on the side of the reader. 

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!

[beadbags]

Thank you for taking the time to answer such a silly question but if you don't know, you don't know... this is all new to me and I appreciate the indulgence to silly questions. I'll probably have a few more. Thank you!

[Sean]

@beadbags - Keep em coming. 😀

[RC_MD]

For us mobile users, is there a way to force sleep mode quicker to save battery and to prevent conflct with my iPhone's Bluetooth connection to my car? 

I don't want to have to unpair the chip reader every time I get back in the car.

-- R Carlson MD 

[Sean]

@RC_MD - While we don't currently offer this feature, we are always looking into better ways to improve our sellers' experience with our readers. I'll be sure to pass along this particular suggestion. Thanks for taking the time to share! 🙏

[AlignOrganizing]

I too would like to turn the reader "off" not just wait for it to sleep as I only use it several times a day for credit card paying clients. 

[fotomarc]

You don’t need to turn it off and the battery lasts for a long time! Read the earlier posts. I use my reader only at my Sunday market and it lasts for weeks! It goes to sleep and off as far as I know. Compare that to my last Eftpos machine which barely lasted one day!

[NLR]

I disagree.....  I live in the frozen North, and the battery only lasts for a day or two in the cold weather.  I too would like to be able to turn it off to conserve battery life!  

[fotomarc]

I did have an issue last weekend. The reader was still showing 4 lights as fully charged the week before. When I went to use it, it was drained flat as if it didn’t go into sleep mode! I had to use a power bank to charge as I needed it on the day, or no sales! This weekend it was still charged with 4 lights on. If you were able to manually switch it off I would forget! Also it’s best to check it’s fully charged up before you need to use it!

[seller1]

Who are you to tell someone else what they do and don't need to do? The person stated that they would like to turn it off. It is none of your business why. If you can't answer the actual question then I'm not sure why you responded.

[KellyJohnson]

Neither of my 2 contactless readers last for more than about 6 hours.  Indoors, intermittent use.  You say yours lasts for weeks???  hmmmm.....

[Frida]

Hello @KellyJohnson thank you for reaching out. Its good to see you in the Seller community again, welcome back! 

The contactless and chip reader's battery will hold a full 24 hours so long as its charged properly.

It takes 2 hours for the battery itself to charge fully. How long have you had your readers? Do you think it’s s possible that the charging wire is frayed or near a heat source?

Look forward to hearing back from you 😊.

[DavidCMH]

Since it's been 5 years, any update on where this suggestion is on the product software backlog?  It would be nice to actually turn the device off.

[stevemiles]

I would also like to be able to put the reader into "sleep mode" manually so I don't have to charge it as often.

[TomMontague]

Hi @Sean - is it possible to disable a square reader going to sleep so that it stays 'awake' at all times?

Thanks

[Helen]

Hello @TomMontague! Helen here jumping in for Sean. There isn't a way to keep the reader awake but if you're constantly using it it won't go in to sleep mode.

This Support article has more information about checking the battery and this article has a chart that shows what the lights on the reader indicate.

[seller1]

You didn't actually answer his question which was CAN the reader be turned off??? I have the same question. Why the ambiguity?? Please answer the question and let us worry about what we should and shouldn't be concerned with. As a matter of fact, I'm concerned about the ambiguity concerning turning the reader off. HOW DO you turn the reader off?? Thank you.

[fotomarc]

The reader cannot be turned off! It goes into sleep mode and the battery lasts a long time! Some of the comments are totally disrespectful!

[NLR]

Hi Sean,

I suspect that it might be an easy fix to update the firmware so that a long button press turns off the reader.  Where I live in Canada it is very VERY cold during the winter, and as a mobile service I find that I have to charge the device daily, yet I only use it a maximum of 4 times a day.  To me it would make sense to have the ability to turn it off.  If the firmware saw a long button press (say 3 seconds) to indicate a request to power down, that would save the battery charge for when it's needed.  

Just my two cents worth.....

Bruce Williams

Northern Lights Renovations and Handyman services

[seller1]

In total agreement. I'm sorry to hear that you have to manage the device as often as you do to ensure you have it ready to go when needed. Hopefully there'll be a real solution provided soon. Happy selling, in the meantime.