I need to use the back camera while in the Square Stand.

[CountrySide]

Can I drill a hole in the stand to open the camera up to use it? Is there anything in the stand (wires, ect.) that I would hurt? 

[katieand]

This is an interesting case @CountrySide! Have you thought about using a separate device for the camera? I'm not sure I would recommend drilling into the Stand or anything that might affect the structural integrity of it.

Maybe some other sellers have some stories around this. 

[JenD17]

I’m in the same position. I need to use the back camera for scanning gift cards but it’s blocked and the app has no forward/selfie flip option. Anyone figure out a way to use it? Is there an extra piece of equipment that could work as the camera? 

[Helen]

@JenD17 I'll keep an eye out for tips shared by other sellers. There isn't an add-on for the Square Stand that you could use. If you really need to use the back camera you could consider using a different tablet stand, for example the Heckler Windfall Stand for iPads, which doesn't cover the camera. 

[JenD17]

Thank you! I clicked the link, I’ll read up on it. I have all the peripherals set up via the hub that came with the square stand, which I understand will not work if not plugged INTO the square stand. I just hit roadblocks everywhere on this camera issue. Such a bummer!! 

[Helen]

You're right, the third-party hardware (e.g. printer) connects to Square Stand via USB! I'm sorry about that. 😞

Out of interest gift card app/service are you using? If you can let me know I'll share your feedback with the Square Gift Card team, as well as the App Marketplace teams. 

[JenD17]

We have square processing integrated with Lavu. Square recommended lavu for our software due to our need for a scale. We were planning on using lavu gift cards but their card doesn’t swipe on square and the other option is scan but the the iPad is in the stand with no access to the camera. We are stuck entering in the back card number. It’s very time consuming when it’s busy and easy to make a mistake.  😞 

[Helen]

Understood, thanks for letting me know. I'll surface this post to the App Marketplace team and hopefully we can work with Lavu on a solution in future so you can scan their gift cards easily! 

[Tommer]

Anyone ever tried drilling through?

[Ernieandrusty]

Just drilled a 1/2" hole 1.5" from left edge, opposite of power, behind ipad is the plastic and a 2mm metal plate, air space and back plastic. Stay away from the power side and you should be fine. This way I can push a pen through and pop out the iPad while it's mounted to the counter. Took a chance that I wouldn't hit anything and it worked out.

[PoppedCork]

I’ve been wondering about doing this as well. For some reason my front camera will not scan barcodes even though it says it will but the back camera will. So, need access to the back camera. Poor design on the stand in my opinion.

[JustinC]

The front facing camera works when scanning barcodes. However, older iPads have low-resolution front-facing cameras that aren’t able to read barcodes as well. If you have an older iPad, that might be the issue. If you're using a newer iPad and you're still having issues scanning, reach out to our Retail Team to investigate further. 

@PoppedCork