Contactless Reader and Chromebooks

[ryost]

Is it possible to use the Contactless Reader with a Chromebook?

[kellyj · Accepted solution]

@ryost

At this time, Chromebooks are not officially supported by Square. That said, the App can and does run on Chromebooks.

The Contactless and Chip Reader is not pairable with the App though on Chromebook, but the Magstripe reader can be used in the microphone port of your Chromebook.

[curtisbrooks]

When is the contactless and chip reader expected to be pairable with Chromebooks?

[Arie]

Hi @curtisbrooks,

Thanks for getting in touch and welcome to our community 😊

At this time, we don't have a timeframe of when, or if the Chromebook will be compatible with the contactless Square Reader. We'll be sure to tag you here to notify you of any updates! 

[curtisbrooks]

Just following up to see if you have any more information about this? I'd really like to be able to use my chromebook in my salon. It's very convenient to use the app on my Chromebook to schedule appointments but it'd be twice as convenient if I could also check out my clients on it using the contactless & chip reader.

[cjmant1]

If I use the magstripe reader is it a higher fee when I'm using Chromebooks?

[Kassi_]

Welcome to the Community, @cjmant1 - 

Using the magstripe reader would be the standard fee (2.6% + 10¢). 

The only time the fee would change would be if you manually entered the card number or use a different method like invoicing. 

Here is a nice breakdown of the card payment fees you could see. 

Please let me know if you have any other questions. 

[MarcusMJ]

Recently purchased a chromebook to run Square POS after hearing they are compatible.  However the chip reader is not compatible via Bluetooth.  Is it possible to connect a chip reader via a USB port of a chromebook ( we prefer not to use iPads, and we are aware certain tablets are compatible, however a chromebook makes the most sense for practicality and other functions) 

[ashc]

Hey @MarcusMJ! Welcome to the Community and congrats on your first post. 🏆

I searched your question and found an existing thread about this within the Community so I merged your post here.

Check out @kellyj's answer above. 

[designstlouis]

I have both the chip reader and the mag stripe reader that I have used on my phone for this purpose in the past but would prefer to plug one of the two into my chromebook laptop and accept payments without needing my phone. How do I download the "app" or square software on my chromebook?

[PuraVidaCo]

hello, I bought a Chromebook as when i researched online it said that it is compatible with Square. I am able to run the appointments app however, my Square reader wont pair??? Has anyone paired the reader to HP Chromebook?

TIA

[kenthenderson]

I think it's very important that Square address the Chromebox, Chromebook, and chrome OS bluetooth connectivity with their contactless reader. Chrome OS is here to stay and growing faster than any other other OS. It would be boon for many, myself included. We have $300 Chomeboxes at 3 retail locations handling customer transactions. Then we have $400 iPads at those same locations to handle the contactless reader. I'm sure Apple loves it, but it not good for the bottom line. Square is all about getting small businesses merchant ready at a reasonable price and with great value. Chrome OS is everywhere and fits nicely with Square's mantra.

[curtisbrooks]

I agree! I'd love to use my chromebook in my salon. Waiting (im)patiently for Chromebook capability!

[kenthenderson]

Bump!

[RYoder97]

It's been forever since this has been talked about by the looks of it.

It's worth mentioning that USB and Bluetooth connected POS peripherals will likely never be supported on Chrome OS. The reason being is because Android apps on Chrome OS operate in a secure sandbox environment and do not fully interact with the main operating system. It's like an emulator. 

Edit: I forgot about USB barcode scanners. If they function in HID mode (like a keyboard), then they will still work. But receipt printers are definitely out.

Over a year ago I was scratching my head trying to figure out why I couldn't use a label printer with its corresponding app. I reported it as a bug to the dev team at Chrome OS but they confirmed that Android apps have 0 access to Bluetooth and USB. It's by design to keep the OS "secure". 

Personally I'd gladly sacrifice some security for some functionality. It makes using Chrome OS for business more difficult. I'd like Chromebooks to be more than just for playing games and browsing the web. They're not toys. But Google will likely never see it that way.

[#16]

I would be happy to buy a contactless reader that works from my microphone jack while they sort it out (or don't).  Chromebooks have come a long way.  And compared to my laggy old tablet, it's maddening.