Square Forums/General Square Forum
Help! My reader isn't working with my iPhone4.
Jynn Louie Oct 09
If you are using an iPhone4 and have problems with the Square card reader, this thread has a quick and easy fix for you.
Our card readers currently "bridge" the grounding inside the headphone jack and the positive signal of the antenna band. This renders our card readers inactive for your iPhone4. We are working on redesigning our card readers and will be contacting our iPhone4 users as soon as they are ready for shipment.
Users have reported that plugging in the Square card reader in their iPhone4 causes the following problems:
- The app doesn't do anything or give any feedback when you swipe a card.
- The app is giving swiping feedback when you are not swiping.
- The app is flashing the dongle icon on and off.
- The app causes Voice Control to pop up.
Fear not! There is a simple and easy fix for this bug posted on our status blog. It works like a charm! All you need is a small piece of paper. If you're still having trouble with swiping even after the paper hack, here are some swiping tips:
Please try these tips and let me know if they work for you! When you plug in your reader, a dongle icon should show up in the bottom left corner of the screen (above the keypad).
1) Take a toothpick and carefully clean out the headphone/mic jack.
2) Swipe quickly and smoothly. Make sure the black magnetic stripe is facing the thickest part of the card reader.
3) Keep the card as parallel with the reader as you can, from beginning to end. It's all about the follow through. Even I have trouble with this sometimes, as I have a shaky hand!
4) Practice a bunch. After learning how to use the Square reader it should only take 2-3 swipes at most to succeed.
When you plug in your reader, a dongle icon should show up in the bottom left corner of the screen (above the keypad).
- Take a toothpick and carefully clean out the headphone/mic jack.
- Swipe quickly and smoothly. Make sure the black magnetic stripe is facing the thickest part of the card reader.
- Keep the card as parallel with the reader as you can, from beginning to end. It's all about the follow through. Even I have trouble with this sometimes, as I have a shaky hand!
- Practice a bunch. After learning how to use the Square reader it should only take 2-3 swipes at most to succeed.
If you've exhausted all these suggestions and the reader is still acting funky with your iPhone 4, feel free to write in a support ticket. We'll be happy to help.
