The POS Go for Shopify POS is an all-in-one mobile POS device built for reliable, fast, and simple on-the-floor selling. This hand-held device functions as a POS station, barcode scanner, and card reader, enabling you to easily process transactions without the hassle of additional hardware.
To use the POS Go, you need to meet the following requirements:
Your store is based in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, or Ireland
You have Shopify Payments activated as your store's payment provider
Your physical retail locations are based in the same country that your store is based in
You have a WPA2 Wifi network
Supported payment types for POS Go
The POS Go built-in card reader supports tap, chip and swipe payments for the following payment types:
Visa and Visa Debit
Mastercard and Mastercard Debit
American Express
Discover (USA and Canada only)
Diner's Club (USA and Canada only)
Interac (Canada only)
Apple Pay
Google Pay
Samsung Pay
Most national debit cards like Interac, Girocard, or eftpos cards that are co-branded with Visa or Mastercard can process payments outside their home countries using Visa and Mastercard.
You can charge the POS Go using the included USB-C cable. To charge the reader, plug the small end of the USB connector into the POS Go, and then plug the large end into a phone charger or computer.
The POS Go takes 2-3 hours to charge fully using a wall adapter. After the POS Go is fully charged, its battery should last for a whole day of selling.
The POS Go's LED power indicator light has the following statuses:
Battery level status lights on the POS Go
LED Green
Full charge
LED Blue (pulsing)
Charging
LED off
21% - 99% charged
LED Yellow
10% - 20% charged
LED Red
1% - 9% charged
Power the POS Go on and off
To turn on the POS Go, press and release the power button. The status light turns on.
To turn off the POS Go, press and hold the power button. When prompted, tap on Power off.
Select the country where you are using the POS Go.
Select the Wifi network. Enter the password, tap Join, and then tap Connect. The POS Go automatically checks for updates and applies them.
Process a sale with the POS Go
Add products to the customer's cart.
Optional: Add a customer to the cart.
From the Cart screen, tap Checkout.
Allow the customer to tap, swipe, or insert their card.
When the transaction is successful, the customer can remove their card.
Choose whether to provide a receipt and the delivery method.
Using the integrated barcode scanner
You can scan products, order receipts, and gift cards with POS Go. To activate the onboard scanner, press either the left or right scanner button.
Scanning products
Press and hold the left or right scanner button on your device, then focus it on the barcode that you want to scan. After you've successfully scanned a barcode, the POS app displays the product information and adds the item to cart.
You scan multiples of the same item by either scanning a single barcode multiple times or scanning a barcode one time and manually adjusting the quantity using the + and - buttons.
Price check an item by scanning the barcode, reviewing the price, and then tapping Clear cart to remove the item from the cart and dismiss the product information.
Scanning an order receipt
Scan the barcode on the order receipt to bring up the order details screen. You can also tap the search bar and scan an order receipt to view the details.
Scan a gift card to check the balance
Check the balance of a gift card by scanning the gift card barcode. The balance information card displays on the screen.
Use a gift card in checkout by selecting the Gift card payment option and following the prompts on the screen.
Using a Wifi printer with the POS Go
Receipt printers generally use unsecured Wifi networks during the setup process. Due to security reasons, the POS Go can't connect to unsecured networks and therefore can't be used to set up new printers. The POS Go can connect to a printer set up using a separate device, such as an iPad or Android tablet.
Before you get started, ensure that you have the POS app installed on your iPad or Android tablet.
Steps:
From your iPad or Android tablet, in the POS app, tap ☰More > Connectivity.
Tap Set up hardware > Receipt printer.
Follow the prompts to select your receipt printer and complete set up.
From your POS Go, tap ☰More > Connectivity. Within a few moments, the receipt printer is displayed as connected and you can print receipts.
Automatic updates for the POS Go
To meet PCI requirements, POS Go automatically reboots every 24 hours. Currently, that is set as a default of 2 am, your local time.
When the device is rebooting either automatically or manually, you must enter a staff PIN to unlock the device before it checks for any software updates. If any updates are available, then the device will automatically download and install them. You might be given the option to defer an update, but in general it’s advisable to accept the update so you are always on the latest version. Some updates can be deferred, but to ensure you have the latest version, you should accept all software updates.
If your battery is too low or the device can't connect to your Wifi network, then POS Go displays a warning screen. Follow the instructions on these screens and the update will continue.
You can verify your OS version on the POS Go. From your POS Go, tap ☰More > Settings > Device settings > System > About > OS Version.
Factory reset the POS Go
A full factory reset and device setup can take around 30 minutes to complete.
To factory reset the POS Go, ensure that your device is powered on, and then press all 3 buttons (power, left scan, right scan) on the device together simultaneously and hold for around 5 seconds. A ‘Confirm factory reset’ dialog box is displayed.
Holding all 3 buttons for around 14 seconds forces the device to factory reset.
After you factory reset the device, follow the set up process again. You’ll need to reconfigure the device’s Wifi connection, download updates, and log in to your store again.
Locate the device name
You can change the device name by going to ☰More > Settings > Device Settings > System > Device name.
When using POS Go in its dock, the device name is displayed during the pairing process and on connectivity status screens. Changing the device name has no impact on mobile selling.
Wifi settings
You can change the Wifi settings by going to ☰More > Settings > Device Settings > Network & Internet.
The network that the POS Go is connected to is displayed with a green checkmark. Networks that are in range are also displayed. To connect to an unlisted network, tap Other.... The POS Go requires WPA2 security to connect to a network.
Tap Run health check to test the network connection
Tap i next to a network to complete the following tasks:
access network information
forget a network
edit details about the connection, such as the IP address, subnet mask, and DNS
Adjust the screen brightness
You can adjust the screen brightness on the POS Go by going to ☰More > Settings > Device settings > Display.
In the Brightness section, you can adjust the slider to set the screen brightness.
You can activate Auto-brightness to let the POS Go automatically adjust the screen brightness based on ambient lighting conditions.
Tap Screen lock and select the amount of time for the display to lock.
Tap Dark/light mode and select either Dark or Light display mode.
Adjust the sound
POS Go plays sounds during common operations such as scanning barcodes or using a tap payment method.
The volume of these sounds can be adjusted by going to ☰More > Settings > Device settings > Sound. Use the slider to adjust the volume. Setting the slider to zero will turn off the sound.
Adjust the accessibility functions
POS Go has accessibility functions available by going to ☰More > Settings > Device settings > Accessibility.
The following accessibility functions are available:
Text-to-speech
Screen magnification
Color correction
Text-to-speech
Tap Screen reader and toggle Activate screen reader when headphones are plugged in to activate the screen reader.
When headphones are plugged into the POS Go, the device speaks screen contents into the headphones. You can make an L gesture on the touch screen to change text-to-speech settings, such as the volume, speed of speed, and activate screen privacy, which removes screen visuals at the same time as allowing normal navigation.
To stop the device from speaking, you can unplug the headphones.
Screen magnification
When you activate Screen magnification for the POS Go, you can do the following to adjust the magnification of the screen:
tap the screen three times to magnify, and then tap the screen three times again returns the display to the normal view
drag two fingers to scroll
pinch two fingers to adjust the magnification
You can't magnify the virtual keyboard with this function.
Color correction
You can adjust how colors are displayed on the POS Go by activating one or both of the following options:
Invert colors: Choose this option to have the screen displayed with inverted colors from the normal display.
Color filter: Choose this option to adjust the display so it doesn't display certain colors.
Troubleshooting
If you're having issues with your device, then try the following troubleshooting steps. You can also report an issue.
POS Go won’t turn on
If your POS Go doesn't respond when you press the power button to wake or turn on the device, then the battery might be completely drained. Plug your device into a power source for a few hours to let it charge. Use the USB cable that came with your POS Go, when possible. An LED charging indicator illuminates just above the screen. When the LED is red, the battery charge is very low and the device is charging. Other colors indicate that the battery isn't critically low and the device is charging or is fully charged. If an LED light isn't illuminated after plugging in and POS Go is still unresponsive, then try a different charger. If you still get no response, then report the issue for further assistance.
“Couldn’t connect to reader” error message
If you press the power button and lock your device during payment, then after you unlock the device, an error screen with message "Couldn't connect to reader". Tap Back to payment options, and then select the desired payment method to resume the payment process.
Wrong PIN entry on payment
If a customer uses a card that requires a PIN, then entering the wrong PIN 3 times can cause your POS Go to become unresponsive. The recommended solution is to restart the device. To restart the device, hold the power button for 2-3 seconds, and then tap Restart. After rebooting and entering your staff PIN, you should be able to resume the checkout.
Connectivity issues with the POS Go
The connectivity status of the POS Go with your retail hardware, Shopify account, Bluetooth, and Wifi can be checked in the device's ☰More > Connectivity settings.
If you make a change in your Shopify admin that doesn't display in the POS, then you can manually sync the POS with your admin to try to fix the problem.
Steps:
Tap ☰More to open the POS menu, and then tap Connectivity.
Tap Data synchronization. This screen displays the sync status for the following store data:
Device
Locations
Products & Inventory
Staff
Store Settings
Depending on the displayed sync status, do one of the following:
To sync all data, tap Refresh all.
To sync specific store data, tap Refresh beneath the store data you want to manually re-sync.
Further troubleshooting tips before sending a report to Shopify Support
Never blow into the chip slot, as the saliva particles can corrode the chip contacts.
Don't use an adhesive like a sticky note or tape, as this can leave residue that can collect debris.
Use a can of compressed air to dislodge any debris inside the chip slot.
Use isopropyl alcohol and thin cotton swabs to gently clean the contacts in the chip slot.
My problem wasn’t covered here
If a reboot doesn't fix the issue, then try a factory reset. After a factory reset, you need to follow the set up process again.
If you’re having a problem that isn’t resolved with a reboot or factory reset, then report the issue.
Reporting issues
If you’re having an issue with your POS Go or find that you need to reboot/reset frequently to get back to a working state, then you can report the issue to Shopify Support.
Steps:
Tap ☰More to open the POS menu, and then tap Support > Report a bug.
Include a brief description of the problem, and then tap Send. Shopify Support might reach out to you to gather additional information.
If you’re unable to send a bug report for any reason or are having an urgent issue, then tap ☰More > Support > Contact Support on your POS Go.
