Credit Card Reader
Card Reader Disconnected
The card reader is a Stripe Reader M2. It's designed to reconnect automatically, but a weak network or a Bluetooth hiccup can sometimes leave one showing a "Reader Disconnected" message, or stuck "Searching for reader." Work through these steps in order—most disconnects are resolved by the first few.
1. Check the reader battery
Press and release the power button on the left side of the card reader once, and take note of the LED lights that show.
No LEDs or a single LED indicates a low battery
4 LEDs means the reader is fully charged
A flashing LED indicates the reader is charging
If the battery is low or empty, charge it and try again before continuing.
2. Check your internet connection
The reader needs a stable connection to pair and stay connected. If your kiosk is running on cellular data or roaming, connecting it to Wi-Fi will often resolve the issue.
Open the iPad's Settings app and tap Wi-Fi, then join a reliable network.
If your kiosk is locked in Kiosk Mode, disable Kiosk Mode by opening the Admin Panel. You can also disable Kiosk Mode from the Dashboard.
If you can't reach Settings, reach out to us so we can disable it for you.
3. Restart the Kind Kiosk app
If the reader LEDs indicate an acceptable charge, make sure you are in the Kind Kiosk app. Open the Admin Panel (the corner depends on your device).
Enter your admin PIN. You can find this in the Kind Kiosk Dashboard under the organization settings.
Click "Quit App."
If your kiosk is in Kiosk Mode, the app will automatically relaunch. If not, tap the Kind Kiosk icon to reopen it manually.
You will see the "Reconnecting" banner when the app opens, but it should go away once properly connected.
If the "Reconnecting" banner does not clear, tap Cancel on it and let the app re-find the reader.
4. Restart the iPad
A full device restart clears most stubborn connection issues:
Press the volume up button once.
Press the volume down button once.
Press and hold the top button for about 10 seconds, until the Apple logo appears.
When the iPad restarts, reopen the Kind Kiosk app and wait for the "Reconnecting" banner to clear.
5. Re-pair the reader
If the reader still won't connect, re-pair it from scratch. The kiosk must not be in Kiosk Mode for this step, since it requires reaching the iPad's Settings.
Open Settings → Bluetooth. Tap the card reader (it appears as a device starting with "STRM") and choose Forget This Device.
Restart the iPad (see step 4), then reopen the Kind Kiosk app.
Open the Admin Panel and tap Pair Reader.
If pairing still fails, reset the reader's hardware: locate the small pinhole on the top edge of the card reader and press the button inside it, then try pairing again. Also confirm the reader's cable is fully seated into the adapter.
6. Using a new or replacement reader
If you've recently swapped readers or iPads:
Turn the old reader off so it isn't competing for the connection.
Confirm the serial number (SN) on the back of the reader matches the one shown in the Admin Panel before pairing.
Reader status lights
When the reader is on, the status lights show its connection state:
Flashing three times: the reader just connected over Bluetooth or USB. This is normal.
All lights off: the reader is in standby or asleep. Wake it and let the app reconnect.
All four lights on steady: the reader is in bootloader mode, which usually happens during an update. If it stays this way, restart the iPad and reopen the app.
Two outer lights flashing rapidly (about every tenth of a second for 30 seconds): the reader has registered a tamper alert and cannot be used. It needs to be replaced.
Two outer lights on steady for about 30 seconds: the reader's integrity check failed and it cannot be used. It needs to be replaced.
Still not connecting?
If the reader fails after all of the steps above—or it shows a tamper alert or failed integrity check (the two outer lights described above)—email us at support@kindkiosk.com and we'll get a replacement on the way.
See below for a Quick Guide to the card reader lights:
