Connect Your Square Reader for Contactless and Chip Payments

Brushfire fully integrates and offers support for three different pieces of Square Hardware:

  • Reader — These offer the best portability at the most affordable price. They are great to use with tablets or phones in situations without a fixed counter space or point of sale location. Please note that these can only be used with the Brushfire Mobile app, and can connect to your device using Bluetooth.
  • Stand — These are best for table or counter kiosks or Point of Sale that are stationary, but simple. They are convenient for environments without a lot of space. Stands, too, can only be used with the Brushfire Mobile app. They connect directly to your iPad using Lightning or USB-C.
  • Terminal — These offer the most flexibility as they can be used with Brushfire on the web from any device or the Brushfire Mobile app. These connect via wifi.

 

The Square reader connects wirelessly with Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) in our mobile app. Be sure you have the latest version of the Square app for your device.

Please note: The wireless connection can be lost if the reader and device are more than 10 feet apart.
 
To connect your reader:

  1. Press and release the button on your reader to turn it on.
  2. Go to your device settings and make sure Bluetooth is turned on.
  3. Open the Square app and tap More from the navigation bar at the bottom of your screen.
  4. Tap Settings > Hardware > Card Readers > Connect a Reader.
  5. Put your reader into pairing mode by pressing the reader’s button for three to five seconds. Remove your finger as soon as you see orange flashing lights. If you see red flashing lights, you’ve held the button too long and you’ll need to try again.
  6. In the app, a pairing confirmation will appear, make sure to tap Pair to complete the pairing process.
    1. On Android devices, quickly tap Pair and Pair & connect each time you are prompted until the connection is successful. If the connection fails, start the pairing process over and make sure to accept all Pair and Pair & connect prompts within 5 seconds.

Note: Due to extended security measures, some Android devices will require multiple confirmations during the pairing process. We apologize for any inconvenience and are actively working with Android to help make this process easier.
 
When connected, you will see the reader listed as Ready in the Square app.
 
Any necessary firmware updates will be automatically installed once the reader has been connected.
 
Note: Processing payments in Offline Mode is currently unavailable with the Square Reader for contactless and chip.
 
Keep in mind, if you are reconnecting a reader that was previously paired to a different device, you may need to forget your reader from the device it was previously paired with. For more information on reconnecting a reader, check out our troubleshooting article.
 
Now that you’re set up, learn more about accepting chip card and contactless payments.