Fire TV App / Play Store support for more Android devices

[nsilvialafrance]

KDS on Android has been great for us. We have quickly rolled outs several Galaxy Tab A8 devices and cheaper Onn Pro tablets from Walmart that work great.

I have found great success in using low-cost Android boxes from Amazon that plug into low-cost televisions to display the KDS in a large format in our kitchens. For example, we have a $30 android box paired with a $80 32" TV and display the Expo screen with the same categories as our Expo tablet. This essentially mirrors what is being displayed and allows for a big screen for everyone to look up at.

These android boxes appear as different android devices, such as a Pixel 3 or other device, and as such the Android app is blocked from installation on the Play Store. I have been able to install the app using APKPure, an alternative app store, and this has worked great.

My request is for either the supported devices on Android to be expanded to somehow allow for these use cases or for Square to look into a low-cost solution to display KDS on a television, such as via a Fire TV app, etc. There is a huge advantage to having large, low-cost screens that do not require touch input in the kitchen and I would love to see Square officially supporting this in some way. A Fire TV app specifically I believe could be a game-changer here, displaying the KDS screen without necessarily needing to interact with it to clear tickets/items. We considered screen mirroring the android tablet to a TV with Miracast but that is not reliable to use on a daily basis and is annoying to start/stop.

Thank you,

Nick Silvia

Lafrance Hospitality

[sayra]

Hello, @nsilvialafrance. 

Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed and positive experience with using Square on Android devices, specifically the Galaxy Tab A8 and on Pro tablets. It's great to hear that you've had success with these devices in your kitchen operations.

Your innovative solution of using low-cost Android boxes paired with affordable televisions to display the KDS in a large format is quite intriguing. The ability to have a big screen for everyone to view the Expo screen without the need for touch input is indeed a valuable feature in a kitchen environment and your workaround of installing the app through APKPure is a resourceful solution to the Play Store limitations. This is all very helpful to other sellers. 

Your request for Square to consider expanding the list of supported devices to accommodate these unique use cases or to develop a low-cost solution for displaying KDS on televisions, such as a Fire TV app, is well thought out. A Fire TV app could potentially revolutionize the way KDS screens are displayed and interacted with in a kitchen setting. Your insight into the advantages of this approach is valuable feedback for Square to consider.

Thank you for sharing your insights and suggestions. At this time, we will leave this feature open for other sellers to chime in with the sam request. We will make sure to update the thread when we get more details from our product team if something like this becomes available. 

Have a great day!