KioskBuddy v3
KioskBuddy v3 is now live on the App Store! Head on over to the App Store to download the latest version of KioskBuddy.
One of the key ideas we had for KioskBuddy was to be able to get a kiosk going as quickly, seamlessly, and frictionlessly as possible. That’s the main goal of this brand new version of KioskBuddy: more consistent linking with the entire Square platform.
Key Improvements link
Itemization link
Lack of itemization for transactions processed via KioskBuddy has been our biggest headache, and I'm sure it was on your end as well. This is the biggest improvement in this new version of KioskBuddy: you'll have complete itemization, meaning you'll have full access to the reporting and analysis capabilities in the Square Dashboard for your kiosk sales. You'll no longer need to rely on KioskBuddy's Sales dashboard as a workaround, and accounting should be much easier moving forward.
Here's a sample screenshot from the Square Dashboard:
Printers link
In this new version we now recommended using Square's Order Manager to route all print jobs through another iPad running Square POS (e.g. your cashier setup) instead of connecting directly to each printer on the kiosk. This has a number of benefits:
You don’t need to reconfigure printer settings for every kiosk device you set up. Simply configure it once for the Square POS.
This will allow you to use USB printers that are connected to the Square Stand.
Receipts will match the Square POS format exactly.
This will allow for support for more printer types besides Star Micronics (e.g. Epson). Because we're a smaller team, we don't have as many resources to support as many types of printer models as Square POS, so this is a huge boon for us.
To set up printing to a Square POS, make sure the setting to push orders to the Orders tab of your Square POS devices is on. You can find this on the configuration screen just before starting kiosk mode in the optional order settings section, see screenshot below, boxed in red.
When you enable this setting, all orders will show up on the Orders tab of your Square POS, as seen below.
You'll also be able to tap into each order to see all of the information on the order:
Finally, once you turn on this setting, don't forget to enable Online Orders for the printers configured in your Square POS (see below, boxed in red). That way, when and order pops up here, it will automatically be printed.
Square discounts link
KioskBuddy v3 also introduces an integration with Square Discount Codes generated via Square Marketing. Check out our help article on how to set up the new Square Discount Codes functionality.
Automatic discounts link
You can now use Square's automatic discount functionality out of the box. No need to configure any settings in KioskBuddy for this. For example, here we've set up an automatic discount when a customer buys 3 or more Mini Burgers:
No more minimum transaction amount link
Prior to this new version, there was a $1 minimum enforced by Square. This is no longer an issue! This means customers using discounts like a Square Loyalty reward doesn’t create any friction in adding an extra item just to reach the $1 minimum. No KioskBuddy settings need to be configured for this.
Customers getting "stuck" on the receipt screen link
One semi-common issue that kept coming up was customers getting "stuck" on the digital receipt screen (the screen that asked for email or text receipts). When the customer doesn't click an option, their order is not sent to the printer, resulting in confusion when it takes a while for their order. This is no longer an issue due to all of our re-working of KioskBuddy's internals.
IMPORTANT: Digital Receipts
For digital receipts in KioskBuddy v3, you'll need to add an email checkout step and/or phone number checkout step in your checkout flow. Once you've added an email checkout step and/or phone number checkout step, the customer will see a checkbox that they can check if they would like a receipt during the checkout flow.
Cash payments link
Selecting a payment type is now a discrete separate phase, with no buttons for the amount of cash the customer is prompted for. This makes for a smoother and intuitive process as opposed to before, where a customer might accidentally tap on cash and ruin the flow completely when they need to redo their order.
Square KDS link
Square recently came out with a kitchen display system for their Square for Restaurants product. To send orders from KioskBuddy to Square KDS, make sure the setting to push orders to the Orders tab of your Square POS devices is on. You can find this on the configuration screen just before starting kiosk mode in the optional order settings section, see screenshot below, boxed in red.
Brand New Features link
Barcode Scanning link
KioskBuddy v3 (as of Build 148) also supports barcode scanning for self-checkout use cases, a highly requested feature. Check out this help article for the details on how the new feature works and how to set it up.
Automatic order numbering (without printers) link
KioskBuddy v3 has a new setting to automatically number orders as they come in (see screenshot below), a feature previously only available when a printer was connected to KioskBuddy. When the customer reaches the checkout success screen, they'll see their order number, which also gets passed to Square POS if you're sending orders to Order Manager. You can also modify the threshold at which the order number resets.
Kiosk status view link
We're super excited about this brand new feature. You can use this new area on the KioskBuddy dashboard to get a live look at your kiosks, for information such as what Square payment hardware is currently connected (e.g. did my chip reader disconnect?), where the customer is currently in the ordering flow (e.g. currently customizing an item), and even what's in the customer's cart at the moment (e.g. to get a head start on their order). In the future, the plan is to allow you to configure device-specific settings remotely without having to actually go to the kiosk, as well as provide more analytics like how much time customers spend looking at certain items!
You won't find a link to this view directly in the navigation bar since it's in beta, but feel free to bookmark this link and check it out: https://dashboard.kioskbuddy.app/kiosks
Obsolete Settings link
There are a few settings that we no longer support, as the new version of KioskBuddy makes them useless and redundant.
Service Fee Maximum link
The service fee maximum no longer applies. Service fee information is passed on to Square for calculation.
Rendering service fee at the bottom of the cart link
The setting to render service fees at the bottom of the cart no longer applies. Service fees are automatically rendered as a line item in the cart now.
Allow checkout flow to be skipped... setting link
The setting to allow the Square checkout flow to be skipped when the payment total is zero (e.g. for prepaid catering) is now longer applicable. This is because there is no longer a $1 minimum for checking out.
Limitations link
There are still some limitations that we’re working on (we're working closely with Square on this so the timeline is a bit undefined). Keep these things in mind:
Collecting customer signatures is currently not supported. (Note: tipping is supported, this is only related to signatures.)
FAQ link
Why aren't orders showing up properly on my KioskBuddy KDS? link
You'll want to make sure both your KioskBuddy kiosk iPad and KioskBuddy KDS iPad are running the latest version of KioskBuddy v3.
Why do I see a delay in printing Square Orders? link
We've talked to Square in the past on this topic, and unfortunately this is a known issue in Square POS. As it works today, orders should appear between 5 seconds to 90 seconds at worst. Square plans on improving Square POS to have all new orders appears within 10 seconds. Unfortunately, we don't have access to the timeline for these changes, but we'll be sure to keep this article up to date as we learn more!
Why are items added on one kiosk being added to my new kiosk? link
Is this a brand new iPad set up via the Apple's Quickstart process? If so, you may have accidentally cloned your kiosk setup, as if both kiosks were the same! We haven't found a clean way around it since Apple literally copies all of the app data over, but the fix is really easy:
On the new iPad, exit kiosk mode to go back to the configuration screen, scroll down all the way to the bottom, then simply push the GENERATE NEW SESSION ID button. That'll do the trick! As usual, if you have any questions or feedback, don't hesitate to reach out to us at support@kioskbuddy.app! We're always listening to your feedback to help improve KioskBuddy!